


Visions Of Devastation

by Talonticus



Category: Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
Genre: Adventure-ish, Canon Divergent, Dialogue Heavy, Drama, Established Relationship, F/F, Gen, Humor, LGBTQ Female Characters of Color, Multi, Occasional violence, Post-KotOR/KotOR II, Revan novel rewrite, Romance, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 18:06:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 51
Words: 184,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9135367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talonticus/pseuds/Talonticus
Summary: In a galaxy wrecked by conflict, cruelty and destruction for far too long, two former Jedi and broken heroes locate a new and previously unknown threat to their home. Despite exhaustion from war and a wish for peace, they know what they must do to preserve the Republic.





	1. Whispered heritage

**Author's Note:**

> **Main characters:** Raekah (Trans-Female Revan), Meetra Surik (Female Jedi Exile), Bastila Shan, Visas Marr, Canderous Ordo, Lord Scourge  
>  **Secondary characters:** Mira, Atton Rand, Bao-Dur, Brianna (Handmaiden), Atris, Juhani, Jolee Bindo, HK-47  
>  **Minor characters:** T3-M4, Vitiate, Kreia, Darth Malak
> 
> _Right, hello there. I'm Claire Talon or just Talonticus and this is my first try at actually writing a KotOR story of any kind. I'm gonna start by being honest - I may have read through texts and spoken to a few people about it, but I didn't actually play both KotOR games until summer 2016. Yeah, I know. I had tried to for years, but I just couldn't get past how annoyed I was by the gameplay. Well, until fairly recently anyway!_   
>  _A few months ago, I also decided to read the Revan novel and was very disappointed by it, so much so that I wanted to write my own version of it all. I have decided to preserve some things, such as the name Meetra Surik. I despise the way the author portrayed her, but I did like the name._
> 
> _Now, as seen in the tags, this is a "rewrite" of the novel's story, albeit with different version of both Revan and the Exile. I also marked it as "canon divergent" since I don't follow the exact story decided in the end of both games either. Like, the Exile won't leave for the Unknown Regions right away, for example. I know Kreia said they would but, "the future is always in motion" and all that._   
>  _As far as the rating goes, I'm not sure there'll be much mature content, but just in case I decide to do so, I'll keep the M rating._
> 
> _This story does sort of tie-in with a SWTOR fic of mine called "Through passion's gateways". You don't need to read that if you don't want to, but if anyone has done that, they may see some correlations between those two stories, since the protagonist of that one has visions of the Exile._   
>  _I will admit I'm not particularly confident in writing so many canon characters, but I'll give it a try, anyway._
> 
> _Note: This fic stars an East Asian trans woman (Revan) and a Southeast Asian woman (the Exile) as protagonists (or inspired by those origins, at least). I'm a white writer, so I welcome any feedback from fans of color regarding both of them._
> 
> _Edit 31/12 - 2017: For future reference, I sort of ignore the official ages provided in the Revan novel.[More about it on my blog](https://creativebankruptcy.tumblr.com/post/169165185030/since-i-dont-follow-the-official-ages-in-the), if you want to see the details._
> 
> _Hope you'll enjoy it._

Revan.  
That word, that name, that _title_ – it all feels so far away now, so unfamiliar. She and several of those she remains close to have tried to tell her that she is not that person any longer. After her supposed ‘redemption’ from the nightmare she had become, she had the opportunity to alter who she was and the core of her being. That is what she was supposed to feel, yes? It was a second chance, a new beginning. And yet, eventually, the memories had resurfaced, and she could recall the events which led her down that path to begin with. Now, she’s not so certain if it was mercy or simple manipulation.  
_“What greater weapon than to turn an enemy to your cause? To use their own knowledge against them?”_

Raekah tilts the mask around in her hands, feeling its weight. The red and dark grey colors have barely begun to fade and yet it feels to her like an ancient artifact of a past life. In a way, she supposes that it’s the truth. Who was Revan, after all? So many words and names have been bestowed upon her for the last decade and yet she can’t tell for certain what aspect she is supposed to draw from. A Jedi, a hero, a broken soul, a conqueror, a Sith.  
A Sith?  
_"You cannot hide from what you once were, Revan.”_

They say that the dark side led her astray, that years of war had tainted her mind and that the mistakes she made drenched her soul to such an extent that she no longer could exist as anything else. That is why she attacked the Republic, apparently. It is why they expected apologies and atonement from her, and why she is the one who is always at fault, always a step behind.  
_“The lure of the dark side is difficult to resist.”_

This isn’t the first time she has had to struggle with who or what she is or wants to label herself as. She can still recall the self-doubt and issues she had to deal with in her youth and even towards her early adult years. People all around the galaxy have difficulties with deciding who they are at their core and being among the Jedi did not make it easier for her. Actually, she would argue that the Order’s philosophy made such issues a whole lot more complicated.  
She was brought into the Order at an early age, just like so many other kids and as she was so young, she did not question it. When she grew into her teens, that was when those feelings began to erupt. Hormones and physical development made her mind swirl with questions and uncertainties. Would they treat her differently? Would they accept her?  
_“Remember the Jedi code – there is no emotion, there is peace.”_

She can recall how the masters reacted to her inquisitive mind and for most of them, it was not very positive. Jedi teachings had always indicated that such thoughts were not important and she should contemplate her studies instead. Only one actually regarded her with some sort of care and understanding – Kreia, her first mentor.  
Raekah will admit that they did not have a very easy relationship, especially due to how cryptic the older woman could be. Always with her contradictory words or reprimands whenever her student was too eager or hasty. However, Kreia also had a compassionate side, at least when it came to exploring one’s identity. She encouraged Raekah where few others did. At times, she wishes that she would’ve listened to such advice instead of trying to repress her feelings, but it is a difficult notion to live with constant regret.  
_“Only by diving will you be able to truly comprehend who you might resurface as.”_

The doubts had lingered for years and only the war temporarily pushed such thoughts into the background. It was not until the Jedi’s…procedure, their memory wipe, that she could actually step forward.  
She can’t help but seethe still whenever she thinks back to the revelation of what they had done to her and while she thinks it was far too cruel, at least it managed to achieve _one_ good thing – her doubts no longer burdened her. She doesn’t know why that was, if perhaps the removal of the restrictive code and teachings are to thank or because the pressure of expectations was alleviated, but they were not present after the procedure. Somehow, her emotions, her wish to find herself remained. That is why, during the months before the crash on Taris, she committed to her plans and made an extensive transition. That is when Raekah was allowed to breathe. She might say it was her ‘birth’, but that would be a mistake. She had always been there, always being the truth in her heart.  
After she gradually regained her memories following Malak’s revelation, she once more understood who she used to be and where the doubts stemmed from, but somehow, they no longer mattered. She had come to embrace who she was, and no dark past should be allowed to change that.  
_“Do you not wish to stand as who you were? To regain your rightful place?”_ _  
  
_ Two years has gone by since her travels on the Ebon Hawk, chasing after the Star maps around the galaxy, and while she had accepted what had occurred to her, despite her decision to stop her old friend from conquering the galaxy, she could not accept returning to the fold. When the Jedi offered her a place among them once more, she declined. She was no longer a Jedi, even though she rejected the notion of being Sith as well. Revan had been born and killed during the wars, and she was only Raekah now. She was going to live only for herself, and not the galaxy. She had experienced too much betrayal, seen too much hardship and atrocities to accept the role of the Republic’s protector. It is not who she is anymore.  
And yet…  
_“The Sith came to us with an offer: to fight a worthy enemy in a battle that would be remembered forever.”_

* * *

  
“Rae?”  
The voice coming from the bedroom door stirs her from the deep thoughts that she had sunken into and she glances up, meeting the eyes of a familiar face. Bastila stands there, still in outdoors clothing; a scarlet jacket and canary-colored pants. She tilts her head slightly, eyes instilled with quite a bit of worry.  
“I was looking for you. Why are you sitting in the dark?”

“Sorry.”  
She immediately notices the raspy tone in own voice and clears her throat. How long has she been sitting on this bed? Could probably use a glass of water. She pushes back some of her shoulder-length black hair, letting it touch the simple brown robes she’s dressed in. Her blue eyes meet the grey of her wife’s.  
“I guess I hadn’t noticed.”

Bastila sighs, shaking her head as she moves a hand towards the light switch and the lamp in the roof soon illuminates the room.  
“I just got home and I was worried, as you didn’t answer when I called out for you.”  
The sight of her wife doesn’t do much to calm her, as Raekah's warm beige skin looks paler than usual.  
“What are you doing here anyway?”

In an attempt to somewhat hide her actions, she lowers the mask into her lap, hoping that Bastila haven’t seen it yet.  
“Reminiscing.”

“About what?”  
She comes closer, angling her head as she peers towards Raekah’s hands.  
“What’s that you’re holding?”

At first, she thinks to simply hide it beneath herself or throw it away somehow, but how would that help her? It would just seem awfully suspicious, something she really doesn’t need right now. She decides to reveal it.  
“I was just…thinking about the past.”

When seeing the mask of Revan, Bastila widens her eyes in surprise and then exhales once more, deeper than previously.  
“Oh Rae…”  
She moves closer and sits down on the bed together with her beloved, wrapping one arm behind Raekah’s back. The other hand gently grasps at the nearest shoulder.  
“I thought you said you got rid of that last year.”

“I know.”  
She swallows, eyes drifting back down into the dark visor of the mask.  
“It’s just been…harder than I first imagined.”

Bastila strokes her hand further down along Raekah’s arm and then places her head upon the shoulder instead. When she glances at the mask, she can’t help but furrow her brow. Just like some other people, she associates this item more with Revan than anything else.  
“I don’t understand why you keep dwelling upon it. You’re not that person anymore, love.”

Despite the slight reprimand, Raekah will admit that she feels calmer with Bastila so close to her. Ever since they first became intimate during their joint travels, she has had that effect. Part of it may be their bond, but she suspects it goes even further than just that. It brings her a great measure of comfort and she can feel invigorated by a simple touch, something few other notions can achieve. It is why both of them were opposed to the Jedi’s distaste of attachment so dearly and broke away when they had the chance. They left the temple, the Order and Coruscant behind, instead searching for a peaceful place to stay. They ended up on Halcyon among the Republic colonies and created a small home for themselves by the edge of a forest, not all too far from a medium-sized town.

“I’ll always be that person, Bastila. Revan wasn’t just a soldier or a Jedi – it was a title. A…belief.”

She raises her head, looking searchingly into Raekah’s eyes. Raekah herself can feel how Bastila squeezes her arm somewhat while she speaks.  
“But do you still keep that belief? Did you not abandon it when we left the Order?”

While she tries to face Bastila, she can’t tear her gaze away from the object in her hands just yet. It is as if she scours it for answers, but it is hard to find any.  
“I…don’t know.”  
There are other questions that need to be asked and discussed however. Everything is not about her.  
“Bastila, can I ask you something? It’s about the war.”

Emotions of uncertainty surges through the air, easy enough for both to absorb them.  
“Which one?”

“The one after the mandalorians were defeated. The…civil war, or whatever they call it now. What do you remember?”

Bastila shuts her eyes, tilting her head back down onto the shoulder once more.  
“Is it important?”

“I dunno, maybe. I just want to know.”

“We’ve spoken about this before.”

“Not in great detail and not much more than your opinions on my actions. You never speak of your experiences. I want to hear what you remember, if you’ll allow it.”

She takes a deep breath, trying to draw upon what she can recall. It may just have been a few years ago, but it feels like a lifetime.  
“I…I remember how it all started. It wasn’t the initial attack, but the way how Malak came to us on your behalf during the Mandalorian Wars. He spoke with such passion when he denounced the Council’s inaction and how you all wished to save the Republic. I suppose I admired the courage and strength it must’ve took to make that decision, but…I also know that I felt very strongly how we must follow the Council’s will.  
And then when the war ended, I can still recall how shocked I and many of the others were when we heard the news of how Revan and Malak had betrayed us, announcing to the galaxy that the Republic would fall.”

Raekah senses the pain in Bastila of having to relive these memories, but she can’t dispel them just yet. They are needed, somehow, even though she’s not sure why.  
“Bastila, don’t speak as if it’s another person. You know it was me. You know I remember.”

Bastila falters, biting her at lower lip for a moment before she proceeds.  
“When…you and Malak struck at us, many of us were devastated. It was not just because of your betrayal, but the fact that you and those with you had been Jedi. I think many had felt it coming though, especially after Meetra’s exile. Her act of defiance swept like a tidal wave across the temple.”

If she concentrates, Raekah can think back to hearing of the situation even amidst the Empire she had created.  
Meetra Surik, one of her most trusted generals, had been allowed to return to the Order, but had been exiled for her actions by the Council. Whether it was in rage or disappointment, Raekah doesn’t know, but Meetra had apparently stabbed her blade into the center of the Council’s chamber before she left. It must’ve taken guts to do so, even after what they did to her. Then again, the General was always a tough spirit, even before the war. It’s why she felt so proud when Surik stepped up and joined their cause. At times, she still wonders what happened to her friend after the exile. No word was ever given and they never saw her in their fight against the Republic. Did she simply vanish? Perhaps stuck in hesitation over her actions? Raekah can certainly sympathize.

“I suppose it isn’t that surprising that they finally took action, then.”

Bastila nods slowly.  
“Indeed. I think they felt a…responsibility to take care of their own, to fix a mistake that their own Order had caused. Although, unfortunately, they never took personal blame. It was not the _Council’s_ fault, in their eyes, merely a lack of understanding on yours.”  
She sighs, almost to a miserable degree.  
“I…agreed with them at the time.”

Shifting her eyes sideways, she looks at Bastila from the edge of her vision, as she raises her own free hand to stroke at the other woman’s cheek.  
“No one can blame you for that, dear. You wanted to defend what you believed in. I admire that as much as anyone.”

“Maybe, but had I not been as hasty to join the fight to stop you, perhaps we could’ve found a different path. One that did not leave such…scars.”  
There is more truth in her words than she may know. The restoration of Raekah’s memories as Revan has left her…broken in certain ways. Some nights, the worst parts of the war resurface to haunt her.  
“Sorry, I know you asked for my experiences, not my opinions.  
In any case, after it began, and we fought back against yours and Malak’s forces, I…suppose I remember the most obvious things. Planets falling under your strategical and military might, feelings of loss and devastation, how desperation and anger settled deeply into the core of the people.  
When we decided to go for the plan to capture you, it was a lot more of a 'last stand' choice than you might think. We were certain that the Republic was doomed and that it would be inevitable for it to be crushed under your boot.”

Raekah squints for a moment, as thoughts push to the surface. That’s not quite how it was in her mind, was it?  
“That…was never my intention.”

Bastila blinks, looking up once more.  
“Pardon?”

“I know some think that we intended to destroy the Republic, but…well, it may have been what Malak wanted, but not me.”

Bastila’s gaze is still turned at her, but she now looks confused.  
“What are you talking about? How do you know this?”

“Because I can recall certain things, certain…sentiments and plans that I stored in my mind, revealing them to no one else. It’s very strange to think back on those times, because my thoughts were so twisted and wrapped up in schemes, but I know that there was something I needed to do. The Republic wasn’t meant to be destroyed, but defeated. I wanted it to kneel before me, so that I could use it. It…was the only way to save what was left.”

She struggles, trying her best to draw upon what lingers in the deepest reaches of her essence. There’s some kind of disturbance though, a mist that clouds her recollection. What has she forgotten?  
Bastila looks at her, even more unsure than before.  
“Save it? You have a strange definition of that word, darling…”

Raekah sighs, glancing away from her companion.  
“I know it sounds weird, but try to analyze the situation. It may be difficult, but look at the broader perspective. What sort of strikes did we commit to? What planets did we target?”  
The other woman still doesn’t quite grasp her intentions.  
“If you examine it from a strategic viewpoint, did we strike at the most important assets? Did we target the most crucial military outposts or attempted to cripple the economic potential? If I wanted to destroy it, that’s the first thing I would’ve done.”

There may be some logic behind such assumptions, but Bastila isn’t sure if she agrees.  
“Are you completely certain of this? What about Iridonia? Or the bombardment of Telos IV?”

With a brief exhale, Raekah shakes her head.  
“We wished to target Iridonia’s base to cripple its defenses, but we wanted to secure the ships which we mostly accomplished. The exact kind of thing I’m talking about here.  
As for Telos…”  
Regret and a small amount of anger sweeps through her.  
“I don’t wish to throw all the blame at others, but Malak wanted to betray and overthrow me since the very beginning. Bombarding Telos instead of preserving it, like I told him to do, was simply one of those choices. I reprimanded him for it, but he saw my actions as weakness. He could not see the grander plan, the scale of what I wished to do.”

“Millions died there, Rae. It was a massacre.”

Her head lowers, her bangs moving to shield her eyes somewhat.  
“I know, and I regret what happened. I should’ve taken control of the fleets myself, instead of allowing Malak to do so.”

Bastila stops herself from saying anything further. She doesn’t actually wish to scold Raekah and certainly not make her feel any worse than she likely already does. Bastila cares for her wife too much.  
Instead, she leans forward and places a soft kiss on Raekah’s cheek.  
“Darling, as I’ve said before, you were not who you set out to be when you became Revan. You fell to the dark side and while I’m not sure what you think you intended, Darth Revan was a Sith, but you are not. It is rarely in their nature to preserve. You shouldn’t feel responsible for such atrocities any longer.”

More talk of light and dark. Raekah got tired of such arguments long ago, even before she took it upon herself to join the war against the mandalorians. Their view of what path one must follow and how skewed it is, has annoyed her for years.  
“Nothing is that simple, Bastila. One does not simply ‘fall to the dark side’. Cruelty and ruthlessness does not appear out of nowhere and even though I will admit that I committed such acts, I know I had a goal. It did not align with Malak’s perhaps, but it was present.”

She wishes she could understand what it is that Raekah speaks of. During the past two years, they have spent most of their time in peace and rarely wandered back onto the road that leads to the past, certainly not gone into such detail. Why the sudden change? Can it be so simple that Bastila just misunderstood her lover’s feelings?  
“If that is not the case, then where did it stem from? What is this plan you had for the Republic?”

Raekah takes a deep breath, her eyes leaving Bastila to focus upon the mask, trying to stare into its plate hide to locate any mysteries. It is as if she can feel it just beyond the border of her comprehension, but cannot reach.  
“I don’t know.”


	2. Through life's trail

Light green and blue leaves dancing in the wind; distant avian calls in amidst the wind's gentle whispers; sweet and alluring scents from the nearby plants offering their ambiguous violet fruit; rays from the twin suns piercing the veil of the trees, creating a fascinating and imaginative collection of shadows at their feet. Not too far away, as they finally reach the top of the hillside landscape, they spot the red and white building that their eyes were searching for and they feel a sense of warmth coming over them.

“So, this is where you two are hiding now, hmm?”

Raekah smiles, almost letting out a chuckle, but she fights back the urge. She glances towards her cathar companion, sights intertwining. Juhani’s tone is as humorous as her gaze at this moment.  
“I dunno if I’d call it ‘hiding’, exactly. It’s not like we’re in the middle of nowhere.”

“Oh?”  
She glances around the area, and except for a farm and its fields to the south, there’s no settlement in the immediate vicinity.  
“Maybe you and I think differently when it comes to defining civilization.”

“Tsk, c’mon, we just left the town nearby! It was what, a thirty-minute walk? And the road you see to the east has the occasional speeder traffic.”

Juhani still appears amused, not quite done with her teasing yet as she corrects her arms around the package she holds.  
“Ah yes, of course. A very busy street then. Almost the same pace as Coruscant with those measurements, right?”

Raekah rolls her eyes, but she can’t help snickering just a little bit.  
“I think you’ve been spending too much time in Jolee’s company.”

She gains a quite warm smile in return from her companion.  
“Perhaps, but I think it has been good for me, and I believe he might say that you haven’t been around enough. He has had to relay all his wild tales to me instead.”

It seems Raekah isn’t the only one to suffer through those then. They had their charm, obviously, but at times she wondered just how much truth there was behind them. Felt like he often altered them to make a point that had little to do with the original situation.  
“Yeah, I had enough of them on the Hawk. I’m glad someone else has his focus now.”  
Still, she remembers them fondly to some degree.

As they get closer, Juhani’s attention is turned further towards the house and she surveys the exterior – a waist-high metallic fence around a not all too large piece of land. Just enough for a garden, two trees and a small brick road to walk around if needed. The house itself looks rather flat and simplistically decorated, but there’s a cozy feeling to it nevertheless.  
“Not too bad of a home that you two have made for each other. It looks very peaceful.”

“It is. We didn’t make all of this ourselves, but we’ve tried our best to build upon the foundation. At first, I wasn’t sure whether either of us would be able to settle down, but just being away from everything and focusing on each other has made us both rather content.”

The cathar nods briefly and once they get closer, she spots some of the flowers at the lawn around the front.  
“I love the colors on those. Who planted them?”

“I did, for the most part.”

“Oh? Have you switched profession from Jedi knight to gardener then?”

Raekah shakes her head amusedly at the suggestion.  
“I can’t say I have, but I tried my best. I spoke to the botanist that they have in town and had him teach me how to properly care for these sorts of things. At least it hasn’t been a complete disaster…yet.”

She feels a hand on her shoulder as they reach the gate that Raekah unlocks.  
“They look lovely and I’m sure they will survive many more years with you caring for them.”

“Heh, well, I haven’t given up, so, it’s a positive sign. Bastila has focused on the trees and the vegetable garden we have in the back. She’s better with the more practical stuff.”

Juhani inclines her head, taking in the entire picture once they’re on the walkway up to the door, with the scents, sights and sounds surrounding them.  
“I definitely see why you like this place and if I did not have my duty, I would certainly consider something similar.”

“Well, we wouldn’t mind having a neighbor, especially one we both love and respect.”

Her words seem to please the cathar, even though they both know it’s mostly in jest.  
“I must say, I was surprised when I heard of you and Bastila.”

Raekah corrects her hair by moving some of it behind her ear after it went astray in the wind. It’s not quite as long as Juhani’s mane seems to have grown. The cathar now keeps it in a somewhat thicker tail that sprawls out across her upper back.  
She faces Juhani with a faintly bewildered look.  
“Really? I mean, we weren’t exactly trying to keep it secret, especially back on the Hawk.”

“Oh, no no, I don’t mean your relationship; I believe all of us knew of that. I’m talking specifically of…you know, ‘Raekah Shan’.”

Now that is something she had expected. A lot of silence was involved at the time.  
“Ahh, right, I see. Yeah, we wanted to be a bit low-key with it.”

“So low-key that none of us would find out? I know some of us would have wanted to be there to congratulate you. Mission in particular was fairly disappointed.”

While her tone is even and tempered, Raekah is sure that Juhani shared some of those emotions. She smiles, trying to appear somewhat apologetic.  
“Well, it was just…we had all faced enough difficulties back then and I knew that you had a lot to do with the Jedi around that time. We both decided it was best to have a small ceremony.”

They’ve now stopped outside the door, not entering quite yet.  
“Just the two of you? Where was this?”

“We had it in a small town on Corellia and no, we also invited her mother, HK and T3.” She hesitates momentarily before exhaling briefly. “…and Canderous.”

Juhani widens her eyes, her arms clasping the package a bit tighter.  
“Wait, you invited the mandalorian, but not the rest of us?”

Raekah knew that might be a slightly sore spot. She curses herself for allowing that to slip back then.  
“Well, no, we didn’t invite him exactly. He…he managed to find out about it, kind of. When he did, he demanded to be involved and I couldn’t just refuse him at that point. Was afraid he might get grumpy and tell the rest of you too. Would’ve been forced to invite you all in that case.”

Some of the disappointment she had suspected can now be seen on Juhani’s expression.  
“I see. I suppose that…makes sense in some fashion.”

“I’m sorry, Juhani. We probably should’ve told all of you, but we didn’t want to make a big deal out of it.”

The cathar shakes her head, managing to wash away some of that discontent.  
“No, it’s okay, I understand. It was not our place to involve ourselves in matters that were yours. I’m just glad you at least stayed in contact with us.”

Raekah reaches out, gently placing a hand on Juhani’s arm.  
“Of course I did. You’re my friend, Juhani, as are the rest. Just because we kept quiet about the wedding doesn’t mean we didn’t want to hear from you guys ever again.”

A small smile returns as Juhani raises a hand to lay it on top of Raekah’s, squeezing it gently.  
“Well, I suppose a ‘simple’ ceremony is similar to how you have chosen to live as well. It suits you.”

“Heh, I guess you’re right at that.”  
Their arms separate again as she gives the door a quick glance.  
“So, you wanna come in and maybe have a cup of tea? I mean, you came all this way, after all.”

“Certainly! Is Bastila inside?”

“No, she’s still out and getting some groceries. She’ll be back soon.”

She unlocks the automatic door and they proceed inside. When they do, Juhani realizes that the house actually feels larger on the inside than it did when they were watching it from the outside. There aren’t a lot of rooms – a living room, kitchen, sleeping quarters, bathroom, one area for workspace and one guest room, even though they hardly ever have any. It does appear just as cozy within however, with mostly moss green painted walls, except for the beige kitchen and the white bathroom. They have several both local and off-world plants and flowers in different rooms, as well as a few paintings and photographs. The photos especially are physical versions and not holographic. Not that they are without high-tech devices at all, as the workspace has a terminal, a bunch of datapads and a holographic projector. It even contains a few droid parts in one of the lockers, as it seems like Raekah might be working on something new. Juhani knows that HK-47 was reassigned to stay with Canderous, who for some reason was fine with the company, while T3-M4 remains with Raekah and Bastila. It is possible that the utility droid is currently with Bastila.

The photographs hanging on the walls are familiar to her, as several of them depict people she knows. There are a few with their old team on the Ebon Hawk, some with old friends from the military or the Jedi and even one with Malak, or rather Alek, before he became the Dark Lord. Juhani finds it curious that Raekah would have one like that, but she knows they were close friends in the past. It is likely that she still cherishes his memory.  
Before she goes to the kitchen where Raekah is making the tea, she hangs her coat in the entrance hallway and drops the bag she brought with her next to the door. She’s wearing a plain pine green shirt underneath with black pants. She has the lightsaber on her belt, but it is simply something she keeps for official reasons, to show her affiliation to the Jedi. With Raekah and Bastila having left theirs behind when they exited the Order, hers is the only one in the house right now. Feels strange when the situation back on the Ebon Hawk was so very different.

After she enters the kitchen, both of them remain silent for a while, contemplating their current situation and perhaps in a way just enjoying each other’s company once more. It’s been a while since they’ve just been able to be around one another and somehow, that makes them feel safe.  
It isn’t until Raekah pours up the tea and they have a sip each that Juhani decides to break their moment of serenity.  
“They ask about you, you know.”

“Who?”

Juhani tilts her yellow eyes up to meet with the blue ones across the table. It is strange that she was used to seeing them every day just two years ago, but now they’re almost nostalgic.  
“The padawans and knights who remain, as well as the Council.”

Not astonishing news per se, but Raekah may have hoped that they’d been able to let it go by now. Two years might not be enough, though. She looks down into her cup, seeing her reflection in the liquid.  
“I figured as much. The Order needs to move on, though and not rely on the past.”

She hears a short sigh from the cathar, of a somewhat resigned nature.  
“It is not that simple. After all the wars we have had to suffer through, our numbers have been thoroughly depleted, as well as much of our resources. The loss of Dantooine especially was…severe.  
Certain days I wonder if perhaps the very spirit of the Jedi is diminishing.”  
Raekah glances up once more, spotting a small pool of sadness within her friend’s eyes.  
“Not to mention all the damage to the Republic. They need our protection and guidance, but we can’t really offer it to them, for we are not sure we can handle being the peacekeepers they expect us to be.”

At first, Raekah is somewhat wary of possible guilt being bestowed upon her, but she dismisses that thought quickly. Juhani wouldn’t do such a thing to her. It is likely that she simply speaks freely of her worries, as she has done that before. Raekah remembers their talks rather fondly, after all.  
“Have you told them?”

“Told them what?”

“Of mine and Bastila’s location.”

A faint smile and a shake of her head that is just as brief.  
“No, I have not. You confided in me because of our friendship and I would never try to break such trust.  
Although, I will admit that I too wish you would return. They aren’t wrong when they say we need you or…someone like you.”

And there it is – not exactly a plea, but the implication of her feelings on the matter. Juhani doesn’t wish to be direct as to not hurt their friendship, but there’s no need to be overly gentle either. The concerns are understandable, even though she doesn’t share them.  
“Yeah, I know, but things are different now, Juhani. I no longer consider myself a Jedi, nor would I wish to do so. The thought of coming back is so far from my mind.”

Not an unexpected sentiment, but Juhani still looks away in slight displeasure. She doesn’t wish to argue, but would it hurt to let Raekah at least be aware of the situation?  
“You told me as much last time and I let it be back then, but now, things are progressing in a direction I had hoped we could prevent. Our numbers are not replenishing, our cooperation with the Republic is faltering and some have even spoken of leaving the Order. And then there's the…disturbances.”

Raekah arches a brow. A part doesn't want to poke, but another is far too curious.  
“Disturbances?”

“Yes, in the Force. We have felt them as of late, although they have slowly been progressing for months. We can’t pinpoint their source, nor can anyone say that they have found anything concrete, but the sensation is always…there. It is unnerving.”

She will agree that the implication is definitely not comforting and when she thinks about it, can she really ignore the fact that some parts of her mind have been telling her the same? After all, was she not thinking along a similar pattern when she last-  
No. No, she can’t falter now. Those days are over, left behind and she cannot bring them back just for a minor concern. She dismisses the notion entirely, at least for now.  
“That’s nothing new, really. The Jedi always speak of disturbances in the Force and in the past, they’ve even used them as means to focus on some specific agenda.”  
She takes a sip of her tea, scowling in thought as she looks out the window in the kitchen.  
“Sometimes, I wonder if the Jedi themselves are the problem, causing trouble out of minor disturbances. It makes me think that they should not remain when they are not needed. At least not the way they are now.”

Sorrow washes over Juhani in such a fashion that Raekah can sense the emotion in the air between them. Makes her feel somewhat guilty for speaking her mind.  
“I…I am sorry you feel this way, although there may be some truth to your statement. I will agree there are…many faults.”

Turning back to her friend, Raekah reaches out with her hand, placing it on top of Juhani’s.  
“I didn’t mean to be harsh or anything. I still have great respect for you and everything you’ve done. If the Order had more of your heart, I believe it could be a better place.”

A smile returns to the cathar’s lips and she shifts the angle of her hand, allowing their fingers to meet.  
“Thank you. I am glad and honored that you still have faith in me.”

“Always, my friend.”

For the next few minutes, they settle back into silence, enjoying their tea and the company before they notice some movement outside the house. Not that Raekah hadn’t already felt it coming from quite a bit away, but now she can finally see them arriving.  
The door slides open and Bastila steps inside with one bag held over her arm, and T3 in tow. The little droid is pulling a cart with a few more bags that contain food and other necessities bought from one of the stores in town. As she enters, she looks surprised, but also pleased to see the two people facing her.  
“Juhani? I didn’t know you had already arrived.”

The Jedi rises from her seat, leaving Raekah by the table, although she doesn’t step all too close just yet, merely wanting to present herself. These two respected one another back on the ship, but there were still certain…friction between them at times. She doesn’t wish to test the waters all too severely.  
“Yes, I came here earlier than I anticipated as well. Raekah thought it was best to wait in your home, instead of at the port.”

Moments later, it shows that she needed to have no concerns, for Bastila approaches her, wrapping arms around the cathar in a gentle embrace which she returns quite eagerly.  
“I’m glad you did! You’re always welcome into our home.”  
Bastila leans back and pats her shoulder softly.  
“It’s been a while; too long, I’d say.”

Juhani’s expression brightens as she nods in agreement.  
“It certainly has. It is very good to see you again. Raekah has showed me around the house a bit and I can understand why you both enjoy living here so much.”

Bastila glances sideways towards her beloved and Raekah winks. She smiles lovingly return.  
“Well, you’re right, but then again, I would go anywhere with this woman.”

She gains a small chuckle from the cathar as she can understand that sentiment very well.  
“I suppose there are several of us who would. We did follow her into quite a few dangerous territories, after all.”

“True enough. She really should’ve given you better hazard pay, I think.”  
It is Bastila’s time to wink now, while Raekah simply rolls her eyes by the table and leans back in her seat.  
They hear some beeping noises from the hallway as T3 complains about dropping the groceries off. Bastila blinks and then laughs as she moves back out into the hallway.  
“Sorry T3, I almost forgot. I’ll help you out.”

Juhani tilts her head slightly after her.  
“Did you see the box next to the door, by the way? I brought some flowers with me as decoration. It’s a wedding gift, although unfortunately rather late, I suppose.”

Bastila looks around, seeing the wrapped package she mentioned and leans down to lift it up.  
“Oh, Juhani! You didn’t have to do that for us.”

“I know, but I wanted to. If I had known of this earlier, I would have sent something by the time it was more up-to-date.”

Bastila walks into the kitchen with the box, smiling with a bit of guilt, similarly to Raekah. They both feel it through their bond, but it is likely that they just share this reaction.  
“I…thank you. You’re very thoughtful, as always. And, well, since you’re here now, perhaps you’d like to stay for dinner?”

While she hadn’t planned to impose upon them too much, she certainly won’t reject an offer to spend more time with old friends that she has thoroughly missed.  
“I would love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Not as critical of a chapter, I know, but I wanted to show how Rae still keeps contact with some of her old friends, even if only from a distance. And there are some implications for the future too, of course. This is like, months before the whole Jedi Purge thing begins, I think._


	3. Down the shattered tunnel

The Mandalorian Wars.  
So deeply etched into her mind, like a wound which never fully heals, that continues its foul and damaging existence, constantly reminding her of what she suffered through and experienced. It was a time of uprising, of trying to do what was best for the people and the galaxy, to stop what was coming. Many told her it was wrong, that the decision to act without counsel is what led to her downfall.

 _Alek frowns, folding his arms as he glances between them._  
_“There’s no more time. We must strike now, before they have a chance to regroup.”_

 _In the face of his certainty, Meetra falters, facing away from him as she gazes upon the hologram of the world they’ve been discussing._  
_“The weapon is ready, but…I fear the damage it will cause when unleashed.”_

_“Why? Will it not eliminate the Mandalorians?”_

_She sighs, shaking her head somewhat._  
_“Of course it will, but there’s quite a big risk we might die with it.”_

 _“That’s a risk we have to take, for the safety of the Republic.”_  
_He turns his gaze to the side, looking upon the robed figure across the room with the dark mask covering the face._  
_“Revan?”_

 _Revan merely stands and watches the mass of information running down on a display, giving details upon approximate losses and consequences of the strike._  
_“I agree. This is our chance to stop them once and for all, and we have to seize it. Prepare the weapon, General Surik.”_

It’s not difficult to see their angle, per se, due to what transpired afterwards, but does it really matter? Something she has asked herself several times after her memories returned. And it’s not just about the fact that they had to protect the Republic or that the Mandalorians were a menace. There was a certain…glory, almost joy in fighting and defeating them. When the adrenaline kept pumping, she couldn’t think of anything else than winning and killing her foe. She couldn’t have asked for better enemies.

_“Heh…this wasn’t what they promised me. Should’ve known better...”_

_The voice, in between the heavy breathing of both fighters, startles Revan somewhat. The big bastard lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood should be dead by now, and yet, parts of him seem to linger._  
_“What are you talking about?"_

 _With what strength remains, Mandalore plants his two big gloves over his golden mask, pushing some buttons that makes it emit some air with a hissing noise. Moments later, he tosses it away, revealing an unexpected sight – grey skin, yellow eyes and tendrils running down from the side of his head. A taung, probably one of the few left in the galaxy after this war._  
_“We were never meant to win this war, I see that now…”_  
_Violent coughs erupt from his throat, momentarily interrupting him. Dark blood runs down from the edge of his mouth, over his neck._  
_“They used me…and our people. All for what? To test your Republic? Or maybe they simply wanted to watch us burn…”_

 _Revan frowns, sheathes the lightsaber and kneels down by his side. The warlord had seemed so invulnerable before, but now he can barely move._  
_“What do you mean? Who used you?”_

 _His voice is weakening, as is his breathing, but it appears he has some last words to speak._  
_“The Sith. They came to me…told me of a glorious destiny.”_

 _What is this nonsense? Is he delirious while so close to the death?_  
_“There are no Sith in the galaxy anymore.”_

 _The taung wants to tilt his head back and laugh, but in this feeble state, all he can do is snort and cough, his voice raspy and pained._  
_“Take my gear, Jedi. Check the coordinates. Go see for yourself.”_

At times, she wonders who was the most excited to leave and find out the truth – she or Alek. Or did he prefer Malak? She was never sure. At least in private, he didn’t ever correct her.  
They had left together, to see for themselves what it was that had created the war, the cause for all the suffering. It wasn’t easy to say if it gave them peace or not.

 _Dusty floors and cracked walls, old tomes and faulty carvings. It wasn’t at all what they had hoped nor expected. Alek wanders around, looking annoyed as he runs his hand upon one of the ruin’s walls, trying to understand anything, but all he can see are unknown markings, possibly letters, ones he can't comprehend._  
_“I don’t get any of this. It’s gibberish.”_

 _Sitting upon the floor with an old tome, age being hard to discern, Revan runs a few fingers across the surface of the material. Not many answers, but definitely intriguing._  
_“It’s not gibberish just because we can’t read it.”_

 _Alek snorts and shakes his head._  
_“Your fascination for this stuff may have blinded you, you know. He probably lured you out here, possibly to initiate some kind of trap.”_

_“We’re alone, Alek, with nothing around us but dust, stone, snow and ice. If he prepared a trap, don’t you think he would’ve planted it by the entrance or something?”_

_He shrugs, turning to glance at Revan._  
_“I dunno, maybe. Or perhaps there’s a thermal detonator just waiting inside one of the pages in that crap you’re holding.”_

 _Revan looks up, seeing the smirk on Alek’s expression. At least it’s a good sign that he can still make jokes._  
_“I think he would’ve needed more space for it. Besides, it’s not like this effort was useless.”_

 _Tilting his head, Alek walks a bit closer._  
_“Oh? You got some info from the book?”_

_“Yes. I know now where we need to go to find out more.”_

Into the darkness is where they travelled, searching for whatever it was they located amidst the fallen. But where? And what was it they found? The answers elude her, and even though she occasionally digs into her mind in hopes of finding it, there is nothing. An empty husk that will give her thoughts no sustenance. It is almost like it has been stripped from her, deprived her of the truth.  
Or maybe…maybe she just hasn’t-

_Oppression. It radiates from the being in front of them, silencing anyone that dares to come close and chokes all thoughts of escape, disobedience or assault. There is nothing they can hide, nothing they can shield themselves with in order to break free from this one’s prying mind. It will tear into them and suck every last bit of hope, until they are ready to be imprinted with the right commands for the task given to them. Not that such thoughts come out of nowhere – there is an inclination, a tinge of recklessness that it will poke at and enlarge, making them into the prime vessels of destruction that they were always meant to be._

_Blackened eyes rise and peer straight into her heart. A thousand voices pierce the silence._  
_“Welcome to the void.”_  


* * *

  
Raekah wakes up with a shocked gasp, lifting a hand up to her throat as she quickly gets into a sitting position. She grasps at her skin, trying to pry away constraints that does not exist. Sweat pours from most of her head, soaking her hair, sides and running down across her face. She needs release right away, but she’s not certain from what.

“Rae? Rae, what’s wrong?”  
She hears Bastila’s gentle and comforting voice, even though it is currently filled with worry.

“I…I don’t…”  
She can’t get the words out, not sure how to express herself. Most of her body appears to vibrate, almost shaking from an instinctive fear that she can’t dismiss.

Bastila raises a hand up to her cheek, turning her head very gently so that their eyes can meet.  
“It was just a nightmare, darling. You’re here with me now, alright? Nothing will hurt you.”

The touch certainly helps and she accepts the embrace, leaning her head downwards to place it upon Bastila’s shoulder.  
“Bastila…”

She strokes a hand gently through Raekah’s hair, which isn’t the easiest thing ever, when it seems to have gotten somewhat tangled up in the sweat and rolling around that the other woman had been doing during her unruly rest. She does her best to fix it with her fingers.  
“I’m here. We’re in our bed, back on Halcyon. Are you with me?”

This has happened before, at least during the time after their travels on the Ebon Hawk. The memory sweep the Jedi performed had a very unfortunate side-effect – when they come pouring back into Raekah’s conscious state, she sometimes regained and lived through them once more. At least she believes it is because of the procedure, but it could just be the effect war has on one’s psyche overall. There are many old veterans that suffer through the same thing, after all.  
Despite still panting and pushing her face against Bastila’s shoulder, she manages to get a few words out.  
“Y-yes, I am.”

She feels relieved enough to hear it, even though Raekah doesn’t sound particularly sure of herself. She hesitates to inquire, but she wants to at least make sure she’s right.  
“Was it…another one from the war?”

The seconds go by as Raekah considers her response, possibly waiting to absorb it all, or decide whether she wishes to relay it.  
“No.”  
No? Not what she had expec-  
“Yes. Sort of.”

This is a first. During the almost two years that they’ve lived together, Bastila doesn’t always ask, as she usually just lets Raekah proceed as she wishes to. Sometimes, she does ask and either gets the anticipated response or simply none at all. This uncertainty is not something they have previously experienced together.  
“What was it then?”

“I…I don’t know.”

Either she’s not forthcoming or she needs to think about it further. Might be that there is a new angle that she has had to relive, which fills Bastila with sympathy.  
“Do you need me to get you anything? Tea? Glass of water?”

Slowly and carefully, Raekah pulls away a little bit. She doesn’t move from Bastila’s company entirely, just not leaning directly against her.  
“No, that’s alright. I just need to…think.”

She doesn’t always know what to do in this situation. Bastila has gone through war as well - on the opposite side of her wife no less, even though they were not as close back then – but she has never suffered as much for it. The Mandalorian Wars were brutal from what she had heard, but that was all she knew.  
“Do you want to talk about it? I mean, if it will help.”

Watching Raekah in silence, she sees how the blue eyes move around searchingly, mouth opening for a moment before shutting again. Soon after, she even nibbles at her lower lip uncertainly. What is it that makes her hesitate?  
Eventually, they lock gazes once more, as Bastila remains patient with her.  
“Actually, maybe we can have some tea.”

Not quite what she expected to hear, but it’s better than nothing. Bastila washes any further questions out of her mind and the two leave the bed together, still staying close as they proceed to the kitchen. T3 awakens as well from his recharging state, but Bastila asks him to continue while they have to be alone.  
They both sit around in night clothes as they get the tea prepared. Bastila has a white night gown with beige edges, while Raekah usually just prefers an oversized basil green shirt. It really is big, too big, but that’s sort of the point, as it hangs down to her thighs. And this is on a woman who is actually quite tall and fit.

They both take a few sips of the soothing beverage, with local tastes running through their senses, before Raekah finally relents.  
“I don’t think it was just a dream, or nightmare. I believe I had a…vision, or possibly just a really strong flashback.”

Flashbacks is something she does get sometimes, albeit very rarely. Bastila remembers that one time they were out walking in the woods together and something, she’s not quite sure what, triggered memories from Dxun.  
But visions? That’s an element which neither of them has received in…well, not since before they could sit like this.  
“Why would you think it was a vision?”

Raekah’s eyes are focused on the dark liquid inside her mug and she narrows her eyes in thought.  
“I’m not sure, but the things I saw were not quite how I remembered them.”

“What did you see?”

She licks her lips, trying to concentrate on what she experienced of the past. Not the first time she had been given certain glimpses into those events, but they were too obscure for her to recall vividly. At least until this night.  
“It was me and Al-…Malak, during the war, as well as a conversation I had with Mandalore before his death.  
With Malak, I went to some world that I can’t remember ever visiting. We wanted to know some kind of truth behind the mandalorians attack on the Republic. On that world, we found answers that made us leave towards…somewhere.”  
She sighs, shutting her eyes.  
“That’s all I got. I don’t know where we went nor why.”

More of this conversation, similar to one they had a few weeks ago. For a moment, Bastila almost wishes to dismiss it as nothing more than a nightmare, but obviously, this is important to her wife. She needs to help, if it will actually solve the matter.  
“Well, perhaps there’s a certain technique we can try to investigate with.”

Raekah looks at her with interest.  
“What kind of technique?”

“Nothing fancy or overly complicated.”  
She strokes her hand across the table, enveloping Raekah’s hand.  
“The bond we share is strong, a very powerful connection. We could try a joint meditation like we’ve done in the past. Some people are said to be able to share thoughts when reaching a certain state of mind together. Perhaps, with my help, you can find what you seek.”

She’s unsure, that much is clear, although not necessarily because she doubts Bastila’s abilities. No, what she fears is allowing her wife to look inside her mind, her thoughts, her memories. Will they see things that Raekah would rather leave deep in the bottom of her soul?  
“Very well, I suppose we can give it a try. Just…be prepared that you might see events that you may not enjoy.”

Not exactly the most encouraging thought, but Bastila nods determinedly regardless.  
“Don’t worry, I’m ready for it.”  
Saying that, she’s not even sure if she trusts her own words, but it doesn’t matter.

“Let’s hope so.”

After finishing their drinks, they rise and switch location over to the living room. They sit down on the floor together, upon one of the soft carpets they have and make themselves comfortable.  
“Give me your hands.”  
Despite the fact that Raekah is well aware of the process for how to get into an optimal meditative state, she finds it soothing to hear Bastila’s voice giving the instructions.  
“Close your eyes and try to steady your breathing. Take slow and deliberate ones, feeling your body calming, your thoughts wavering. Push them away, until you’ve washed them all into non-existence and bring out what it is you truly wish to see.”

Obviously, words would never be enough for this kind of endeavor. The other element of this ritual involves the Force, but it is something that comes so naturally to the two of them that neither really thinks of it at all. It envelops them, strengthens their connected minds and merges their thoughts. At first, there’s nothing that they notice more than surface thoughts, as their bodies try to catch up with what they’re attempting to do. It is almost like they’re wading down into the sea or even relaxing their bodies before going to sleep. Eventually, it just hits them both, as if they’ve turned on a switch and they find themselves in separate experiences and locations, as they both live through events from Raekah’s past.

It is certainly a success, as images flash before them, more vividly than they were in the dream. It’s not as if she really wanted to see them like this, to feel all of it once more, but it needs to be done to track down the truth.  
While Bastila mostly receives strong and lengthy illustrations, seeing acts of violence, meetings and places that Revan went to, Raekah is brought towards the familiar voices of her past self, as well as Alek, like he used to be.  
_...the Sith…the mask…Rekkiad…the Unknown Regions…_

Mere minutes pass by around them, but it feels like hours, as the Force guides them through time and space. They are constantly separated, at least until the very end. Blackened eyes startle them both, making them quiver and instinctively pull away.  
That is when they awaken.  
Bastila gasps as her own eyes shoot open and she looks around, quite similar to what Raekah had done just about half an hour ago. Thankfully, she doesn’t see anything around her, as it’s only the two of them here. But that gaze she witnessed…where was it from? Who did those dark bottomless pits belong to?  
It wasn’t the color of them precisely, but the…aura, the oppressive intensity. She feels unnerved just thinking about it and quickly attempts to forget.

She looks up to see how Raekah is doing, and finds the other woman appearing distant and contemplative.  
“Rae?”

Raekah slowly nods.  
“I think I see what’s going on now. I know what I must do.”

Not good news at all, especially after what they both witnessed. Bastila isn’t actually sure that they saw the same thing, if Raekah has this reaction.  
“What do you mean? Are you going to chase this…vision? We’re not even sure if that’s what this was. To me, it seemed just like a…strange nightmare.”

She smiles, somewhat sadly as well. Perhaps that’s how her old life could be described.  
“Well, in a way, it was. But then again, that’s what happened to me during those years. Remember the civil war? I believe I had some kind of plan back then. I’m beginning to see where those ideas may have stemmed from.”

“What, this bizarre creep we saw at the end?”

“Yes, exactly. But you felt it, didn’t you? This wasn’t just some…suspicious person. They were emanating with such power which I’ve never felt before. Mandalore himself believes it may have been more Sith.”

This is what they saw in the dream, or at least what they believed the words to be.  
Bastila shakes her head, somewhat disbelievingly.  
“And you trust him? A delusional warlord? The Sith are gone, Rae. They haven’t been around since the Hyperspace war, where they were pretty much wiped out. Only you and Exar Kun brought them back in spirit for a time.”

Raekah sighs and even as she tries to argue, she finds herself doubting as well.  
“Maybe, maybe not. I have to at least investigate though, don’t I? Visions like this don’t just come out of nowhere…”

“You don’t think it’s wise to process this information a bit further before just leaping out into nothing? If this truly was a vision, then it may not have been as forthcoming as we think. These things often need to be interpreted first.”

“If I sit and wait, it may be too late, Bastila. Besides, I already have some information, enough to go on and search for more.”

Always one to act hastily. She watches her wife, searching the expression to see if she’ll find what she fears. Raekah intends to head out again, doesn’t she? No matter how much Bastila tries to fight it, something always pushes back. Damn destiny…  
“So, what do you intend to do? Where will you go?”

As they’re already sitting so close, Raekah just slides a bit closer, putting their hands together again and leans in to place her forehead upon Bastila’s. She contemplates her response before she speaks. Probably best to be careful.  
“I don’t know yet, but I need to talk to Canderous.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, Bastila is still really skeptical._   
>  _Also, I know I teased the Exile a bit here, but we'll get to her eventually. The first chapter with her will be number 7, if I follow my own plan correctly._


	4. Hearty remnants

The town of Malthena on the planet Halcyon isn’t a particularly large one. Sure, it’s got a couple of thousand people from various origins, but if compared to most Republic worlds, it’s quite a minor place. In fact, even on Halcyon, it’s not even in the top ten, and this is for a planet that overall is fairly sparsely populated. Few people find it of interest to come here other than to settle down and get some calm and quiet. For these reasons, it might be conceivable to believe that getting lost would be close to impossible and yet, as Raekah arrives in the eastern parts of the market district after having left the western side, the man she’s about to meet gives off exactly that kind of vibe.

She smiles and stops before approaching him, seeing how the mandalorian gives the area as wide of a sweep as he possibly can. He’s looking past her of course, trying to watch the corners and the alleyways that lead to this region, rather than the people. It’s not been as long since they last saw each other compared to many of her other companions, but it must’ve gone at least a few months by now. Thankfully, he looks no worse for wear, although she will admit that he really should replace that brown vest. It’s got some tears and cracks here and there, and it probably won’t be all too many years before he it gives in and becomes unusable. In this weather though, it is quite useful to have, at least.

Eventually, Raekah relents and approaches him, doing so without trying to be stealthy, but he doesn’t pay all too much attention.  
“You look lost.”

Canderous blinks and reacts as if he just found the item he was searching for right in front of his nose. He does his best to return the smile in a not all too sheepish way.  
“Well, it’s these damn villages. Everything looks the same, so I don’t know where to turn.”

She arches a questioning eyebrow.  
“It’s not exactly a village, is it?”  
Glancing to the side, she finds and indicates a sign with the name of the area bolted onto one of the walls.  
“These are too difficult to follow?”

“I don’t pay attention to that kind of crap! You told me to meet you in the market, so I went to where everyone else was going.”

His companion, a familiar rusty red droid, sighs.  
“Statement: I tried to explain to him that you mentioned the _west side_ of the marketplace, master, but as always, he refuses to listen to reason.”

“And why would I? All you ever say is nonsense and you know as little about this world as I do.”

“Sarcasm: Oh yes, of course, it is not as if I have a fully functional memory bank which downloaded everything necessary to guide us through Halcyon from the HoloNet or anything! Of course, master, I know nothing.”

“Pft, yeah, sure. Last time you tried to ‘guide’ me on Corellia, you remember what happened? Our route took twice as long as what the recommended path mentioned, because we had to take care of a stupid gang along the road!”

Hk-47 turns back towards Raekah instead of looking at Canderous.  
“Query: How do you know that was not part of the plan?”

Their argument is interrupted by Raekah laughing and embracing both of them, one at a time, with a hug.  
“Canderous, HK, it’s good to see you both and I’m glad you’re getting along.”

Canderous sighs, but returns the embrace quite gently.  
“I wouldn’t say we ‘get along’, but we aren’t actively trying to kill each other at least.”

HK-47 nods briefly.  
“Admittance: It has been an interesting partnership so far, master. He meets my standards for violent conclusions to nuisances.”

Raekah smiles and shakes her head.  
“Yeah, I figured as much. And I suppose I'll have to accept that’s as far as you two will go.”

The mandalorian shrugs slightly.  
“You’re free to take him back.”

She clears her throat somewhat awkwardly.  
“Uh, I…don’t think he’d be very happy here. It’s probably too peaceful.”

“Statement: You are correct yet again, master. I prefer the freedom of wandering the galaxy instead.”

Raekah would likely allow him to wander as he pleases, if she just knew how to tamper with his violent tendencies, which she unfortunately does not. She can’t recall the exact details of his design when she was still Darth Revan and have not been lucky enough to find any clues to it. Still, he’s probably better this way, as long as he has someone to…supervise him.  
For now though, she has other plans.  
“Glad to hear it. Perhaps it would be wise if you utilize some of that freedom right now. I need to speak with Canderous in private. Maybe you could patrol a bit around town while I do?”

“Enthusiasm: Certainly, master! It would be my pleasure to scout the area and find any possible vulnerabilities which these meatbags have not sealed as of yet. For purely strategical reasons, of course.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Just don’t injure anyone.”

“Query: Not even if they ask for it, master?”

“HK…”

He spreads his arms in the air and then begins to wander off, keeping the rifle away from his hands…for now.  
“Skepticism: As you wish, master. But it will not be my fault if some criminal walks loose because my circuits were tied.”

The droid strolls away and Raekah shakes her head.  
“I see he hasn’t changed much.”

Canderous shrugs.  
“What did you expect? He’s a droid.”

“I programmed him with quite a wide set of personality quirks and development cycles, though. Might be that he has just decided this is better to stick to, but I dunno.”  
She looks at him and smiles.  
“In any case, are you hungry?”

“Oh yeah, starving. Haven’t had anything to eat for hours. Forgot to have breakfast and that damn chat box kept distracting me.”  
She gestures for him to follow and the two of them approach a small outdoors dining place on the western part of the market, like she initially planned. They sit down by a table in the corner, where they get at least some kind of privacy away from others, and order something to eat. Canderous decides to reinitiate their conversation when they’re alone again.  
“So uh, how have you been doing?”

“Oh, you know, fine.”

Doesn’t seem like she’s about to relinquish much more than that. She’s not particularly comfortable with such small talk and doesn’t know how to properly conduct it.  
“Well, that’s good to hear. You look good. Uh…I mean, you look…like you’re doing just fine, is what I meant.”

He continues to stumble a bit on his words and she finds it somewhat cute. She knows he has been, and likely still is, attracted to her. It’s been some time since she realized that, all the way back on the Ebon Hawk, even before the revelation of her identity as Revan. She knew of it, as she had the same attraction for him, and possibly still do. However, back then, she couldn’t know for sure if he ended up being more drawn to the figure of Revan or her personally.  
In the end, she only _loved_ Bastila, which is why these two never got very far with each other.  
“Thanks. As do you, my friend."

Managing to finally calm himself, he glances around the town outside of the diner. The streets are far from full, the buildings are no more than a few meters tall and there aren’t towers upon towers lining the landscape. So very far from Coruscant or old Taris, by such standards.  
“It is weird that you’re still living on this world, though.”

She eyes him and tilts her head curiously.  
“How so?”

“It’s a dustball in the middle of nowhere, Raekah. You used to live and roam on the grandest of civilizations, with people everywhere. There aren’t even any great places to hunt on a passive world like this.”

She snorts, but in amusement.  
“Probably not, but that’s not the point.”  
Closing her eyes for a moment, she feels the scents around her, sensing the trickle of life passing her by and the wind gently brushing her cheeks.  
“It is…soothing. The fact that it’s not so widely populated just makes it more enjoyable to me.”

Canderous watches her with interest, assuming that the serene look on her face means she’s somehow interacting with the Force.  
“You used to command warships, lead legions into battle and now, you practically live on a farm.”

Her eyes open up again and she simply shrugs.  
“Times change.”

She seems so nonchalant about it that he actually begins to laugh. Perhaps it’s for the best that she does whatever she wants.  
“Well, how’s Bastila doing then?”

“She’s fine.”

He raises a brow after a few seconds. Brief as always.  
“You sure about that? I mean, if that’s all you have to say, it doesn’t sound great.”

Raekah smirks somewhat, as she's intentionally cutting her responses short in this regard. She knows he may still be a little bit…jealous.  
“Okay, fine. She’s absolutely amazing and we’re doing very well together. In fact, being around her has probably been the best time of my life. Happy?”

Once more, he chuckles and shakes his head.  
“Yeah, I guess that’ll have to be enough. I did get what I asked for.”

She asks the same questions in return for a few minutes, up until their food and drinks arrive. Like on most occasions, his meal is somewhat meatier and heavier than hers, with something stronger to drink. Not that Raekah abstains from liquor, but it’s still lunch time and she wants to keep her head clear. They do have important matters to speak of, after all.

He grabs a bite or two before continuing their talk, using the nearby napkin to wipe some stains from his cheek.  
“So, you wanna tell me why you asked me to come over? I mean, I’m assuming you didn’t just want to buy me lunch.”

Raekah’s lips curl in an entertained fashion once more.  
“Who says I’m paying?”

Canderous arches a skeptical brow, grabs a sip of his drink and then mutters, albeit still somewhat humorously.  
“Not a lot of hospitality here, huh?”

It’s her turn to snicker now. She does realize it’s probably best to get serious, no matter how reluctant she may be. It’s not just because she doesn’t wish to trouble him, but rather…she knows he will do it, no matter how problematic, and without hesitation. She doesn’t wish to manipulate him, but it still feels like she will, no matter how she frames it.  
“I need your aid, Canderous.”

“With what?”

She takes a deep breath, preparing herself to give what is necessary. At least what she’s able to.  
“Have you ever heard of a planet called Rekkiad?”

There’s some food left in his mouth, which he continues to chew on as he considers the name.  
“Hmm, it does ring a bell, but I can’t say I know from where. What about it?”

Her meal has more vegetables than anything and she tries to eat some, but she tends to be slower than him, especially if she needs to think.  
“I have been contemplating the war a lot as of late. You know, the one we fought against one another. I’m not just talking about the battles, but what I saw and heard during that time in general.”  
She lifts a hand to correct her hair, pushing some of it behind her left ear. Without her realizing it, he finds it rather enticing.  
“I believe there are answers left to be spoken and I can’t be sure exactly how to locate them. However, there is a major chance that Rekkiad holds some of them.”

His eyes watch her with quite a bit of curiosity. Obviously, the war was an important time of his life too, perhaps what ended up defining his entire existence as a mandalorian. He can’t really recall any major difficulties that he needed to understand, though.  
“And what is it you believe you’ll find?”

She opens her mouth, but hesitates. Needing to distract herself while she considers the response, she nibbles on some more of her food and stalls until she has swallowed.  
“You remember my battle against Mandalore?”

Canderous blinks, uncertain if she is serious or not.  
“Uh, yeah, how can I ever forget? It’s practically what ended it all. Your brilliant maneuvers once more.”

A praise she takes to heart and deplores at the same time. A bemusing sensation.  
“Were you there when they found his body?”

“No, I wasn’t, but I saw it shortly thereafter.”  
His eyes turn distant, being able to remember the sight to this day, almost in exact detail.  
“He was…broken, badly damaged and without his mask. We never thought we’d see our leader, our greatest warrior, so utterly shattered. Both impressive and…devastating.”

Raekah raises a hand to her lower lip, poking at it somewhat. It’s now or never and she’s not sure what to do. She can’t retreat now, can she?  
“His mask, it wasn’t destroyed.”

He looks up, facing her, but her gaze does not meet his.  
“Are you sure? That’s what everyone else said.”

She emits a heavy sigh and shuts her eyes.  
“Am I sure? Canderous, I was the one who killed him. Of course, I know what truly happened. It wasn’t destroyed…because I took it from him.”

The silence after she utters those words is eerie, though she can’t be completely certain if it’s because she dreaded the arrival this moment or due to his reaction. His eyes remain widened, his mouth somewhat agape. Collecting himself, he slowly puts down his cutlery, meal still only half-eaten.  
“You…took it? Why?”

The tone he speaks with is lowered compared to the previous one, but there is some kind of outrage in the back. She can’t blame him for it.  
“After our fight, we spoke for a short time. He gave me hints that everything was not as clear-cut as we may have both believed. He gave me the location of Rekkiad if I wanted to get closer to the truth.”  
She fidgets a bit with the fork in her hand, stroking her fingers against its metal hide.  
“I took the mask after that because…well, at the time, I believed it would demoralize your people and stop further combat. I was certain you would not have it in you to fight anymore. I suppose I was right.”

She looks up, locking their eyes in a strenuous union. His gaze is ambiguous, difficult to fully read. At least the joy she saw earlier is mostly gone, but she is not met by hatred or rage. In fact, it’s more like she collided with a sudden wall.  
“Yeah.”

For a moment, she wants to reach out in order to establish at least some kind of connection between them, but realizes it is probably not fair, nor her right. Still, she can’t leave it unsaid.  
“I’m sorry, Canderous. I know how important it was to your people and how hard you were hit afterwards. All I can say is, at the time, I felt I did what I thought was right. The Republic needed to be protected, and I was ready to go to any length to achieve it.”

He breaks their shared gaze, glancing down towards his food and begins to stir it once more. He decides to have another sip of his drink and while he remains cold, she can finally hear some of that damage in his voice, something that stings her as well.  
“You won the duel, the battle and the war. It was your right to act and proceed how you wished to, I won’t dispute that.”

Raekah sighs, lifting her hand to rub it on her forehead. After all these years, why would she need to bring it up? She could’ve just asked him to go to Rekkiad with her and not explain any further.  
But this had to be done, as she can’t keep it a secret from those who would care. He had a right to know and perhaps he might realize the importance now.  
“Maybe, maybe not, but I have called you here for this reason. The mask is hidden on that world, Canderous and I need your help to locate it. On top of that, I also want you to come with me.”

This spins him into action again, as he appears surprised.  
“What? You want me to go look for it as well?”

“Yes, of course. Why else would I ask you to come?”

“But…why? I may not be with the clans, but I’m still mandalorian, Raekah. You really want to put that thing in my vicinity?”

It sounds strange to hear him say it, as if he would become a danger when being so close. It’s a ridiculous notion, at least to her.  
“As a matter of fact, yes, I do. There are a lot of facets, a lot of questions that we both have about this whole thing and we need to go to Rekkiad to locate the truth.”

Canderous appears as if he wants to protest or at the very least interrogate her further. He senses she’s not telling him everything, but at the same time, Raekah is someone he cares for. Yelling won’t help.  
“And the mask?”

“The mask will be returned where it belongs.”

What this means, neither of them truly understands. Not yet, anyway. All of it should be unveiled if they actually find it.  
He takes a deep breath and slowly emits it through his nose, trying to steady his misgivings and small amount of excitement. Not sure what to cling to, really.  
“What about Bastila? And the others?”

Raekah looks down into her meal again, undecided on her own goals. She wants to believe that it can be done together, but there are too many doubts.  
“She remains…skeptical of my belief that this is necessary. She wonders if I’m just trying to grasp at threads that don’t exist. I think it’s best not to worry her too much. I told her I would be investigating this slowly together with you, at least to begin with. I haven’t revealed everything and for now, I believe it is for the best.  
As for the others…” she scratches her chin thoughtfully “…I don’t want to involve too many people, at least not where we’re going. What you and I have to talk about is for our ears only. We can bring HK though, as he won’t tell anyone.  
I trust in you, Canderous and I believe this task is for a mandalorian to complete with me.”

He watches her, seemingly having discarded his sorrow for now. It will return at some point, most likely, but he realizes it can never be used against her.  
“When do we leave?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I like the thought of Canderous/Raekah as a possibility in the past. Like, not as serious, but still something that may have been close to happening. However, Raekah felt better about being with Bastila because of their connection and chemistry. She doesn't think that she could've handled a relationship with Candy._


	5. Cold facets of truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Just so you know, I don't provide the exact description of Rekkiad nor the tomb that Karpyshyn did. But hey, I did say it'd be divergent!_

The howling wind, the intense cold and the bright, monotone landscape – it is all coming back to Raekah now. Even though she had been unsure at first, she has definitely been here before, without a doubt.  
The search for Rekkiad was a difficult one, but not necessarily lengthy. She and Canderous had scoured archives and reached out to some of his contacts, hoping to locate clues about the coordinates to the planet, which eventually bore fruit.  
It is here, in the depths of the Outer Rim, that they will find what they’ve been seeking, and finally unveil the mystery that haunts Raekah’s mind. And from the familiar sensations she’s getting, they’re on the right track.

The icy and snow-filled landscape is not making their trek particularly easy, however. The shuttle they’re currently using has to endure a harsh storm that would likely prevent any effective advance by foot and it doesn’t allow them to do much good by air either. It obscures much of their view of the land far below them and even the sensors appear to be affected by the harsh climate.  
While Raekah has some proficiency with smaller vehicles, ships and similar sized vessels isn’t her expertise. She could probably pilot this shuttle, but for the time being, she has allowed Canderous to do so.  
Currently, he appears to be rather annoyed about their situation.  
“How the hell are we supposed to find anything in this chaos? Not sure I can even land this thing without crashing, if it persists.”

“Well, I don’t remember telling you it would be easy.”

He sighs and shakes his head. While he checks a few of the shuttle’s systems, he also gives her a quick glance.  
“Couldn’t you have dropped the mask off in a little bit less hazardous area?”

In return, she offers a small smile.  
“That would’ve been contrary to the point.”

“Right, to never let us find it. Yeah, I get it. Unfortunately, kinda seems like it prevents _you_ from finding it too.”

“Pretty sure I hadn’t planned to ever relocate it, though. I wanted your legacy to lay buried for eternity.”

Canderous exhales again, trying not to get bogged down in the mistakes of the past.  
“So, what do we do? Are you even sure this is the right side of the planet? It could be lying on a completely different continent for all we know.”

For a moment, Raekah closes her eyes, trying to gather the Force around her, spreading her influence to grasp at the sensation she had located earlier. It’s still present, meaning she had been correct in her first assumption.  
“Yes, trust me. It’s not far now.”

He gives her a skeptical look, but doesn’t say anything to argue. Her ability with the Force has helped them before and it’s likely to do so now as well.  
Raekah does point them into the direction of something more solid eventually, as they approach a tall structure almost completely surrounded by ice and snow. It’s impossible to see it with the naked eye, but they can definitely perceive it through their sensors. They find a good spot to land, or at least what they believe to be – in the middle of all this snow, it’s impossible to be completely sure.  
They’ve packed warm coats, scarves, hats, masks and other things to cover themselves with and with HK-47 taking point, they head out to the front of the structure. Naturally, it’s even worse being inside the storm than to watch it from within the warmth of a shuttle.

As they have a hard time to detect much of anything out here, the droid has to lead them to the entrance and pushes away a lot of the snow covering it, only to reveal that the large stone doors are encased in thick layers of ice. Thankfully, HK-47 has enough gadgets in his body to actually just burn the snow away, even if the ability of his torch is somewhat restricted in this storm. Canderous and Raekah are certainly not averse to aiding with violence against the ice as well, to give them the opportunity to reach their goal. She kinda wishes she still had her lightsaber now.

Minutes later, the trio finally walks down through long sets of stairs into the depth of the ruin, several meters below the earth, or at the very least, the layers of snow.  
As they wander down, they ignite flashlights and immediately spot the carvings and writings upon the walls – all of them in a language that neither of the humans understand.  
When they enter the ground floor, seeing the dusty interior of the tomb and hearing its eerie silence, Canderous snorts, appearing quite unimpressed.  
“Well, this place has certainly seen better days. I assume.”

“Don’t be so sure.”  
Without addressing the mandalorian’s questioning gaze, she instead turns to HK-47.  
“HK, can you head up closer to the surface? I’d prefer to have someone guarding our backs by the entrance, just in case.”

“Confirmation: As you desire, master. Make sure to keep your organic sensors open for any threats down here as well. From what I recall of your exploits, these sorts of tombs are never safe.”

The droid whirls around and marches back up, while Raekah smiles at him. Canderous also watches him go, but redirects his attention to his friend.  
“What did you mean by that comment regarding its state?”

She gives him another look, but does not provide a straight answer. Instead, she inclines her head further into the darkness.  
“Come on, I know where we have to go.”

Having no other choice, he follows her. More of the scribblings and imagery can be seen across these walls as well, many of them fairly alien and unknown to both of them. The art style is odd, probably ancient and it’s difficult to interpret what exactly any of it tried to convey. There are cracks and a few signs of misuse, but for the most part, it remains intact. This kind of rocky formation doesn’t deteriorate all too quickly, it seems.  
In terms of what people would deem as ‘artifacts’, there’s not a lot. The occasional trashed remnant of a piece of decoration or broken and abandoned technology, decaying after not having been maintained for so long. It’s not an enormous place, but there was definitely more than one person staying down here, unless whoever built it just felt they needed this much for their body alone.

Raekah picks up their conversation in amidst the silence and Canderous welcomes it. He was never fond of this type of location to begin with.  
“Did you know that Mandalore challenged me to single combat at the end?”

Her voice gives off a slight echo through the halls and he’s silenced for but a moment.  
“Yeah, of course. Everyone knew.”

She sounds distant somehow, like she’s not quite around in the same way.  
“He was a good warrior, you know. Tough and strong, like few others I had met at the time. But just like the rest, he fell. I think even he knew it was inevitable when he challenged me.”

The tone and statement create a divide in Canderous. He’s caught between being unsure or offended and being in awe of what Raekah, or Revan, once was. An all too familiar sensation.  
“It was said to be…quite an impressive fight. For the few who witnessed it, that is.”

“No one saw it up close, so I doubt they truly understood what it was like.”

He doesn’t quite understand why she brings it up now. Perhaps she just needed to get it off her chest. Or maybe this whole place brought those feelings back to her somehow.  
“I…guess not.”

“I don’t regret killing him, Canderous. I want you to know that.”

They lock their eyes together for a short while, and he nods curtly.  
“I already knew, and I wouldn’t expect you to.”

Eventually, they enter a somewhat larger square-shaped room, most of it fairly empty, except for one thing – a grey and moderately large box, or what could possibly be described as a “sarcophagus”. Made of a dense rock, likely granite, with an interweaving pattern of diagonal lines and circles carved along each of its sides. It’s difficult to say exactly what it represents, but likely the individual’s personal mark or possibly the family they belonged to. The same pattern is also made into a figure that has been attached to the top of the receptacle.  
Raekah stops and as Canderous faces her, she gestures ahead. He takes a deep breath then, realizing that this is it – this is the location where she hid the mask. Since the end of the war, his people have lamented the loss of this artifact, the way their whole identity was stripped from them. To think it was hidden in such a dismal place is…well, not entirely unexpected, actually, but certainly not what he would deem as fair.

He wanders up to it, feeling the weight behind each step he takes, up until he’s right in front of the container. He surveys it, trying to find a way to get it open, before simply putting his hands on the side of the lid and pushes as hard as he’s able to. Despite his strength and effort, it doesn’t budge. After several strained seconds, he turns back to Raekah.  
“This thing will _not_ open. I could try to blast it, but I don’t want to destroy what’s inside.”

Raekah shows a contemplative expression as she comes closer, probably not having expected it herself.  
“I see. I suppose I could try another maneuver that might work.”  
She raises a hand into the air, drawing upon the Force and attempts to push the lid open with her own power. However, yet again, it refuses to move. There is certainly more of a reaction to this stunt than Canderous’ efforts, as it groans and dust trickles to the ground, but it remains shut.

The mandalorian folds his arms and smirks.  
“Seems your Jedi nonsense ain’t gonna work in here either.”

She frowns momentarily, more in annoyance with herself than his jab.  
“It should. I am certain I’ve opened this thing before.”

“You sure? Maybe it was Malak who did.”

Her gaze shifts towards his direction, displaying a rather sharp glare.  
“Are you mocking my strength?”

He raises his hands in defeat, but still appears quite amused.  
“Nope, nothing like that at all. Just trying to analyze the situation.”

She emits a brief sigh, shaking her head.  
“Well, I’m sure that it was me who opened it last time we were here, but I can’t remember how I did this.”

Canderous looks around the area, seeing if it’s possible they might’ve missed something vital.  
“Maybe there’s some device along these walls that’ll get it open?”

Raekah raises her hand to pinch her lower lip in thought, examining her mind for the possible answer.  
“No, I doubt that. There must be some way that I would’ve used to-“  
A thought pops into her mind. Not the most welcoming one, but a conclusion that seems plausible. Why hadn’t she considered that before?  
“Canderous, step back.”

He looks to her, ready to argue, but the determination in her eyes makes him realize that it’s probably not such a good idea. He does as he’s told and watches as she takes a deep breath, gathering herself. He folds his arms, waiting to see what she’ll do, and notices how instead of the usual serene look, she clenches her hands and then repeats the previous gesture with the arm. He wonders if she’s just going to slam her head against it over and over until it gives in, until he witnesses something entirely different.  
From the tips of her fingers, twisted, violet light shoots out in the shape of what he would classify as lightning. It immediately impacts the ornament, surrounds it and for a moment, they feel how the whole room begins to vibrate. The lights from their devices flicker as well, but her intrusion is successful. The lid suddenly slides open, almost effortlessly, and reveals the interior.

Canderous remains in his location for a bit longer, even after the power has subsided, as he observes his friend.  
“Are you…okay?”

There’s no response at first, as she appears distant once more, perhaps assessing herself. Then she looks up and shrugs.  
“Yes, of course.”

“Despite the whole…lightning thing?”

“It’s just another side of the Force, Canderous. Haven’t used it in a while, but I still remember how. Now, you want the mask or what?”

He nods, accepting her explanation and approaches the sarcophagus. Within it, he sees some very old remains of a skeleton, although somewhat torn up, showing signs of being disturbed. There are also some other ancient articles, relics perhaps, but none of them are important to him. What his eyes fall upon is the ruddy golden item with a T-shaped visor and a number of lines and emblems that represent important events for many of his people. Slowly and carefully, he grabs it and holds it in his hands.  
For a short while, he’s rendered speechless. To think that he’d be the one to take up the mask for the first time after it was torn from their possession, stripping them of pride and honor.  
To the aruetii, this is probably just an item, a piece of equipment that means nothing. But to the mandalorians, the mask is part of an armor, one of the most crucial symbols of what their culture is.  
As he stands there in silence, he realizes that this is his first time touching it as well, something he never believed would happen. And to think, he’s friends with the one who stole it from them. The mando’ade in him certainly would wish to denounce such a thing, but then he also remembers that they take pride in respecting their foes as well, and Raekah has become far more than that.

“It’s…hard to believe that this is really it. That it’s what brought us to the doorstep of the Republic. Or…part of it, anyway.”

“Yeah, things are not that simple, my friend.”

As he hears the gravity in her voice, he slowly lowers his hands and turns towards her.  
“What do you mean?”

Raekah sighs, pulls off her hat and corrects some of her hair, which has gotten quite messy beneath it.  
“I wasn’t entirely truthful with you. I mean, not that I outright lied about why I wanted to come here, but I did not tell you everything. The mask wasn’t the only reason we came to this place.”

Canderous narrows his eyes, but he doesn’t attempt to overreact.  
“Then, will you tell me now?”

“That is the plan, yes. I did speak to your leader, to Mandalore, just before he died. You remember how I mentioned that things were not as clear-cut as we may have believed?  
He told me that your people were tricked, Canderous. Tricked into attacking us.”

His skeptical appearance now gains a frown as well.  
“Explain.”

She begins to walk slowly around the area, her gaze moving across the sights of the dim walls. Their flashlights have been left on the floor, to not leave them in darkness.  
“Do you remember what you told me once? That the Sith came to you with an offer?”

“Of course. What about it?”

“What makes you believe it was Sith?”

Canderous looks somewhat confused and shrugs.  
“Uh, Mandalore told us? At least, that’s what I recall the gathering was initially about. I think something was mentioned about remnants of Exar Kun’s Empire. They fought together with our people in the Great Sith War, prior to ours, so it didn’t seem particularly odd that they would wish to help us again. Probably saw our worth at that point.”

She listens to what he has to say, before she nods curtly, seemingly having made such a conclusion already.  
“Your people were deceived, Canderous. It was more than just remnants of an old and dead Empire that approached Mandalore. There was something underlying, something far more powerful which influenced him. It still lurks in this galaxy.”

His bemusement doesn’t really disperse as he tries to make sense of it all.  
“What do you mean? Are you saying it was not the Sith?”

Raekah sighs, raising a hand to scratch her cheek.  
“Not in the way you know them. The people who spoke with your leader were far more dominant than those we know from under Exar Kun, and they manipulated your people through Mandalore to attack the Republic.  
It’s not the first time this happened either. From what I suspect, the same people influenced both Exar Kun, and myself, to strike at the Republic. They’ve come time and time again, and it is likely that they seek the annihilation of the Republic.  
My belief is that they wait out there, in the darkness of the galaxy, ready to bring another war to our homes.”

Canderous frowns even further than previously, folding his arms as he tries to analyze her statement.  
“This sounds kinda…you know.”

“Crazy? Yes, I’m aware. But have you considered the proof?  
Mandalore himself told me that he was influenced by them, tricked into throwing his people into a full-out war against the Republic. In fact, at first, he had felt it was a ludicrous idea to attack on such a scale, but something inside of him convinced him of the possibility of success, despite everything pointing against it. It was not until his final moments that he realized his folly.  
And have you never asked yourself why both Exar Kun and I suddenly chose to call ourselves Sith, to create Empires of our own? Or why we were able to amass such a following in a fairly short time?”

He will admit that it seemed strange, but something inside of him just assumed that war could corrupt Jedi in some fashion.  
“Are you saying that you were persuaded by the same thing as Mandalore then?”

“Not immediately, no. I mean, I assume that both me and Malak had a potential for…’falling to the dark side’, as they say, but it wasn’t on our minds when we came to this world.  
We searched this tomb out of curiosity, of finding what truth that Mandalore spoke of and the people he had encountered. Something led us away from it all, into unknown territory and then when we returned to the heart of the galaxy, we marched in as Sith.”  
She shuts her eyes, recalling the void in those darkened ones of her dreams. They have appeared more than once as of late.  
“You know what the strangest thing is with all the returning memories I’ve gained? _That_ is the one event I can’t remember. I know that we left known space together, but I still don’t understand what it was that made us choose to create the Empire and start the war on the Republic. Mandalore told me the same thing. It’s just like this…idea popped into our minds and we had no choice.”

“What, like…mind control? Who or what could possibly be capable of such a thing?”

Finally, she turns her gaze back to him, a resolute expression within her eyes.  
“That is what I need to find out, Canderous. Whatever or whomever it is, obviously intends harm upon the Republic and the galaxy. It has shown this on numerous occasions and it likely won’t stop until we are completely broken. I intend to find them and this time, I won’t be as desperate for the truth as I was last time. Or at least, I have to try.”

He hesitates, not really liking the sound of it, but she has always been rather big on causes and action. He wonders if she has told Bastila, or what she might tell Raekah in such a case.  
“You sure about this? If you don’t even know who they are, where would you go?”

“Into the Unknown Regions. I may not know their identity, nor their exact location, but I remember enough to know that me and Malak travelled in that direction. It is where I must go as well, to find the answers.”

Canderous nods slowly, seeing the logic in it.  
“Okay. So, when are we going?”

Her determined look falters now somewhat and she shakes her head.  
“I’m sorry, Canderous. You’re not coming.”

“…excuse me?”

“I didn’t take you all this way just to talk about my theories or to explain what we’re facing. You have the mask now, and you need to use it.”

For a moment, he looks down at the item still firmly stuck in his grip, seeing the light reflecting off the visor.  
“For what, exactly?”

“I thought it would be obvious – you need to wear it and take the position that only you can, Canderous. You need to become the next Mandalore and give your people hope once more.”

He looks up, locking his eyes with her and she sees the utter shock and almost what she would call horror within them.  
“W-what?! Are you out of your mind?! Me, becoming Mandalore? That’s just-…there’s no way that I-…  
How would I even-“

She interrupts him, her voice firm and decisive.  
“Whatever threatens the Republic, threaten us all, Canderous. It needs to be stopped. But the Republic is weak after having suffered so many wars in just a few decades. It cannot survive alone, and it needs allies. Who are more appropriate than the mandalorian warriors?”

“Hold on a second, you want us to fight by their side? Have you completely forgotten the wars we’ve fought against them? The citizens of the Republic despise us, Raekah, and I don’t blame them for it. And I’m not going to say that my people likes the Republic much either. We’ve always fought one another, and I doubt they’d be ready to listen to my words if I came telling them that some distant unknown enemy is waiting for us in the dark!”

“Doesn’t your people pride themselves on their fighting prowess? As long as the battle is worthy, that’s what matters? Isn’t that what you once told me?”  
He opens his mouth, but shuts it soon again. He does indeed recall saying something similar.  
“This is another chance for you and your people, Canderous. With your help, the mandalorians can rise once more and get behind a cause that has honor and glory. They can leave a lasting legacy this way, not just among your own, but in the hearts and minds of the rest of the galaxy as well. It would be a time when the mandalorians helped to save the Republic, the foe they were tricked into fighting.”

She has always had a way with words, something that really irritates him right now.  
“Raekah, I…what if I don’t want to do this? You’re going into unimaginable danger, something you admit that you’ve done before. I should be by your side for this. I _want_ to be by your side.”

Raekah exhales briefly and her features soften somewhat.  
“I know that you do, my friend, but you can’t. Not this time.”

He clenches his other fist, angry that she’s not giving him the choice. Why should he not be allowed to protect the people he wants to as well?  
“I don’t care about the Republic. Let it die, if that’s what it has to come to. To defeat us and Malak, it needed your help anyway. What does it matter, if _you_ are not there to fight with us?”

There is a point in what he says, and she can certainly see it. However, she senses that his reason for bringing it up is not what he claims.  
“Then don’t do this for the Republic. Do it for me, Canderous. I’m asking you to help protect the people and home which I care for. I trust in you, I always have, and this is why I’m pleading to you in this way.”

And there it is. His greatest weakness, the one aspect he’s unable to resist. He curses himself for it and despite everything, he would challenge the very darkness itself, if she asked him to.  
His shoulders slump and his eyes lower to the ground.  
“As you desire, Revan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Don't worry, this isn't the last Revan chapter before we switch protagonist. I haven't forgotten Bastila._


	6. Not another farewell

Memories, doubt and a small bit of fear, all contribute towards an uncertain climate and future, as to whether the current plan is sound and feasible, or just completely insane. She has failed before, hasn’t she? What indication does she have that it will be any different this time?  
Part of her insists on that it will, that she will simply be more careful than last time. But she can hardly even remember what happened back then, as it remains stripped from her mind. How can she possibly reassure herself of success during those circumstances?  
Another part of her demands that she speaks to those she loves and cares for, to ask for their aid, but Raekah knows it’s not that easy. She needs to go at this alone, there’s just no other way. She can’t ask them to endanger themselves in order to follow up on her suspicions. If anyone should fail, she would blame herself. It is best if only she has to deal with such a situation.

All of this ends up being the reason why she waits until night time to sneak back into the house, once she has returned to Halcyon. While she has been calling and exchanging mails with Bastila, it’s been a few weeks since they actually met in person. That is probably why she was far too anxious to be able to see her wife. If she tries to look into those lovely eyes of hers, it will probably make Raekah just spill everything that she intends, which would be a catastrophe. Bastila may be brave, capable and caring, but this isn’t something she would understand. She would protest and try to hold her wife back, instead of letting her explore this possibility and the truth is, frankly, too important.  
However, she cannot leave without saying a word. That is why she has prepared a recording that she’ll leave next to the bed, as soon as she is done packing. It will allow her to see Bastila one last time before-

As she stands inside the wardrobe with two bags, trying to gather some items which she’ll need, the lights suddenly switch on around her and her head immediately whirls in the direction of the entrance. The sight of the woman standing in her white night gown with beige edges and crossed arms is both lovely…and terrifying. She swallows once before breaking the silence.  
“…Bastila.”

Bastila merely stares at her for several seconds and she barely allows herself to move. This is probably the worst possible outcome, one she hadn’t even conceived of. How did she screw this up? She was pretty sure that she made no obvious noises.  
“So, you’re finally home.”

Raekah clears her throat, eyes diverting to the ground. She needs to find some way out of this.  
“I…I was just uh, trying to check if-“

“You were packing for the journey.”

“What? No no! I was just going to-“

“Don’t try to lie, Rae. You know that doesn’t work on me.”  
She gradually closes the distance between them, making Raekah feel as if her heart is pounding harder.  
“You know how powerful our bond is, and it’s far too strong for anything like that to ever prevail. I can see right through you.”  
Raekah swallows audibly this time, but stays quiet.  
“Besides, I doubt those bags on the floor are for some kind of camping trip.”

With slumped shoulders, she sighs and tries to meet Bastila’s gaze again. It isn’t easy, knowing what she’ll have to face.  
“No, I guess they’re not. I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to lie, but…”

She tries to find the right words, but it’s difficult to know where to start. She has already divulged enough for her wife to have an inclination.  
Bastila’s expression softens somewhat in understanding.  
“How did things go with Canderous? Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Yes, we did. We located the planet and the ruins.”

“And did you attain what you hoped for in there?”

“For the most part. I left no particular trail for myself, but I know the direction and some possible coordinates, which might be possible to investigate. It wasn’t the ruins that gave it to me per se, but I regained some memories while I entered.”

Bastila’s eyes narrow in suspicion.  
“And you aim to go out there, into the unknown, to find that…creature?”

Raekah inclines her head briefly, but tries her best to seem resolute.  
“Yes. Whatever that person or thing was, I believe it is a danger, Bastila, now more than ever.”  
She waits for Raekah to explain, remaining skeptical for now.  
“During the whole time investigating this with Canderous, I came to realize that…the thing I hadn’t understood before, was how deeply this went. This being, whether it’s Sith or not, has been manipulating us for ages. Exar Kun, the Mandalorians, even myself – we were all just pawns in their game. Something out there, in the dark, aims to shatter the Republic. And I don’t think they’ll be satisfied with letting us be the only ones to take a stab at it, especially not now when it’s weakened after decades of war.”

It makes her sound earnest at least, and Bastila appreciates that. Well, to a point. Not enough to get away, however.  
“I understand your concern, darling, but what you’re talking about is…well, it sounds a lot more like a very elaborate conspiracy. To think that a being that powerful could exist and be capable of succeeding…I just hope you realize how hard it is to believe in it.”

“And what if it isn’t? What if there are people out there, just waiting to attack us? It’s happened in the past. The galaxy is far too big for us to know what transpires at all times in all corners of it. The existence of the Star Forge should’ve been proof enough of this.”

“So, you just intend to go out there and hope that you can stop them alone?”

Raekah scowls, more so out of determination than anything else.  
“Well, I have to do _something._ The Republic is a very tempting target right now for pretty much anyone and while neither of us are Jedi anymore, I can’t just stand by while I’m sitting on information that might be crucial. I have the possibility to act, Bastila, and I have to take that opportunity.  
People are under threat, people I care about, and if I do nothing at all, I will feel like a coward.”

They’ve created a rather peaceful and possibly bright future while settling down here, and it has been quite enjoyable. However, Bastila can comprehend the sentiment. What if they do simply stick around and allow the galaxy to burn around them? They have no duty to act, but they are more than capable of doing so. But she doesn’t relish the thought of having to go and be a hero again. That’s not what either of them are anymore.  
She steps closer, moving her hands up to Raekah’s neck and pulls her down. The other woman is somewhat surprised, but accepts the embrace and tilts her head slightly sideways, as Bastila invites her in. The sensation of kissing her wife is always a very pleasant one, and not just on the physical plane. Their bond enhances the feeling, spreading warmth and comfort all over, and Raekah can sense how some of her tension washes away for the moment. It’s enough for her to wrap her arms around Bastila’s waist, pull her closer and deepen their kiss. It almost makes her wish she could stay here forever. If only her life was that simple.

After their lips part, Raekah’s eyes are shut for a few extra seconds, allowing her to savor the taste. When they open once more, Bastila doesn’t seem as suspicious as previously. They still keep their arms around each other as well.  
“I understand.”

“Y-you do?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’ve always known you were like this. It was a big part of why I fell in love with you to begin with. Your bravery, determination and decisive nature - I wouldn’t want to strip you of all that.”

Hearing it is enough to make Raekah smile.  
“Good to-“

“And it's why I’m coming with you.”

She halts almost immediately and her mouth is left agape. What did she just say?  
“…what?”

“I’m coming with you.”

Oh no, _this_ is not what she asked for.  
“Wait, wait…no, that doesn’t work. I can’t just-…  
I can’t let you come. It’s not possible.”

Bastila arches one of her eyebrows in a highly skeptical way.  
“Excuse me? And why not?”

“This is something I have to do alone, Bastila. It’s too important.”

A slight frown returns, heralding an oncoming fight. She didn’t actually expect for things to go this far.  
“Bollocks. Do you even realize what you’re doing? You want to head out into completely uncharted territory. You will need the assistance out there.”

“But…I can’t drag you into this, Bastila. I can’t force you to do things which should be my problems. It’s not something that you should have to endure.”

“Well, then you’ll be glad to hear that _I don’t care._ It is not your choice to make whether I want to come with you or not, and I sincerely do.”

She exhales fairly heavily. Why does her wife have to be so damn stubborn?  
“It will be dangerous, too dangerous. You saw my dream, didn’t you? I’m searching for that being, in an attempt to stop whatever it is that they’re planning.”

“So? Have we not faced danger before? Many times over, in fact.”

“This…isn’t the same.”

“No? You’re saying that throwing ourselves against Malak, all the things we went through on Manaan, Tatooine, Korriban and all the other worlds, were not on the same level as what you’re attempting now?”

“Maybe, but I almost lost you there. That can’t happen again.”

Bastila snorts sharply.  
“Our bond is stronger than back then, Rae! My nature…changed, because I feared that possibility. When I accepted you, when I accepted who I truly am and wished to be, I realized that there’s nothing that could possibly tear us apart again. We conquered that fear, and we can certainly achieve this goal together.”

Raekah diverts her eyes once more. There is a small side within her that pokes at her mind, trying to realize how much she needs this. But what about all the consequences? The risks?  
“You haven’t experienced the same kind of things I have, certainly not in war. When Malak and I invaded, it wasn’t the same type of event as when we went through the Mandalorian wars.”

“Oh, you _cannot_ use that against me. What does it matter whether or not I was in that particular conflict? Are you afraid this will adversely affect me in some way? That I can’t handle it? We’ve both seen and went through enough of it. I do not fear the dark side.”

“This is more than just the dark side, though…”

“You think I don’t know that? What I’m saying is, none of it matters. The things you’re attempting to do is far too dangerous to go at alone, and you are going to have to accept that you _will_ need me.”

The words feel as if some kind of drill, slowly chipping away at her resistance. She realizes that Bastila has a point, but she can’t allow herself to accept that.  
“But…if I lose you…”

This gets Bastila even more worked up, as her frown sharpens.  
“If you lose me?! And what about me losing you, you fool?!  
You know how strong our bond is as well, don’t you? You know that you are not as powerful without me. Our connection makes us stronger and together, we can achieve anything. Don’t be so eager to throw that away, Rae.”

She tries to fight it, but her eyes keep wandering up to Bastila’s and each time they do, she feels how deeply they look inside of her. There’s nothing she can do to attain victory in this situation. Was her belief in sneaking into her home like this mistaken? Was she always meant to wake Bastila up? Stupid Force, getting in her way.  
“But…”

Trying to calm herself down, Bastila runs a hand up past Raekah’s neck, gently grabbing ahold of her chin and tries to steer her to let them face each other fully. She speaks with a softer tone this time.  
“I am coming with you, Rae, and there is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.”

Raekah sighs heavily, her whole body shivering in defeat as she leans her forehead against Bastila’s. They close their eyes, lips connecting once more in a much sweeter kiss. She hopes there’s some salvation in it, that maybe she regains her will to fight, but instead, it feels much more like it draws her further down the well of acceptance.  
“…dammit.”

Bastila raises her hands to envelop both of Raekah’s cheeks and there’s a certain glimmer within her eyes.  
“You’re the most beautiful and amazing woman I know, but you’re stupid if you think you can leave without me.”

She wants to both laugh and cry, and she hates it.  
“Why must you be like this?”

Bastila blinks, surprised at the question, before she scowls. It is not as fierce as previously, but her spirit does not dwindle.  
“What?! Why must I-  
…listen, we are married dammit, and I must be at your side!”

“You just never give up, do you?”

She raises her thumb and bumps it somewhat playfully at Raekah’s nose.  
“You’re damn right I don’t. If I’d ever allow myself to do so, it’s very likely that you would go and do something foolish, like always.”

Finally relenting, Raekah finds herself in a fit of laughter, a sound that brings a smile to Bastila’s lips. They embrace each other tightly and lovingly, and when they kiss again, it is a far deeper and more passionate collision. Perhaps she was right all along, that they’ll need each other out there. Going without backup, without someone she can truly trust, might’ve been suicide. Perhaps this will help her see things she may not have been able to otherwise. Besides, she will at least try to be a lot more careful in Bastila’s company.

They stand quietly for a while, contemplating what it is they’re about to do. Leaving all of this behind them, not knowing how long it will be before they return. It’s a big step, albeit one they have done before. They left the Jedi Order together, broke some of its most vital tenets and tried to create something which no one believed they could. Who says it won’t be possible for them to accomplish the impossible in this particular matter?

Raekah is the one to finally break the silence, her voice barely above a whisper.  
“If there really are Sith out there...”

Bastila smiles, closing her eyes as she rests her head comfortably at Raekah’s chest.  
“Then they better get ready for that they’ll grow to fear the name ‘Shan’.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _So yeah, compared to Drew, I actually wanted these two to leave together. Raekah just can't resist Bastila, so it was impossible for her to win the argument to begin with._
> 
> _We'll jump forward a few years next time, and finally make my first chapter with the Exile._


	7. Buried in the future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Right, here comes the first chapter with my version of the Exile._

Telos IV. It has been a few months since it last saw activity above its atmosphere, when it was assaulted by the Sith Lord Nihilus and his forces. While the battle in space was a fairly dangerous and devastating one, the planet’s surface remains intact and largely unspoiled – that is, not any more than what it suffered in the past. The Republic forces that attacked the Sith’s ships had moved in quickly to save a world that had already faced such hardship during the Jedi Civil War, and they did not want things to get worse.

While most of it is still going through a very slow and careful restoration process, the snowy area around the rather covert Jedi Enclave remains as cold as it has been for years. The underlying reason for this state is likely because it is stays undisturbed, even by those in charge of the restoration project, partially on behalf of those who currently inhabit the facility.

As another snow storm rages in the region, one would imagine that those inside might overhear it or somehow have some kind of troubles because of it, but it actually turns out to be quite the opposite. Within one of the large training grounds for example, the two people currently sparring are far too warm and sweaty to notice what kind of weather it is outside. Not that they actually need to look, as they’re quite used to it by now.  
The room is filled by a lot of other noise as well, mostly from the cracking and buzzing of their blades colliding. The fair skin and short red hair on one woman stands in contrast with the dark brown complexion and long rippling black hair upon the other.

 _"You must go where Revan did, into the Unknown Regions, where the Sith, the true Sith, wait in the dark for the great war that comes.”_  
Those were some of the last words spoken to her at Malachor V, in the last dismal hours of that horrible world’s existence. Despite what Kreia had urged her to do, Meetra couldn’t bring herself to leave everything behind. The Jedi Order was still in shambles, with most of its members gone or dead. Telos IV held the only facility worth a damn right now where they could hide away, but most of those who went to this destination were untrained and highly unused to the life of a Jedi. Who would take care of helping them rebuild and make them find the right path? Visas? Atris? Neither of those were completely incapable of it, of course, but they also did not carry most of the current denizens’ trust.

When Meetra found herself lost and uncertain after her return to Republic territory, Kreia was the one who offered to teach her, aiding her in the recovery of her true self. Granted, everything did not turn out as either of them expected, but Meetra still realizes that she would never have gotten as far as she did without Kreia. Some may blame the old woman for dragging her back into this mess to begin with, but she saw the reasons and logic behind it all.  
That brings her into her current situation, when she has the opportunity to help others find their path as well. It would be wrong to simply leave them stranded while she has the knowledge to lead them onto a more secure future. She’s not entirely certain what the old Jedi Council would say about the prospect of Meetra teaching a new set of Jedi, what with her violent past and arguably dubious morality, but honestly, who gives a crap? If anything, perhaps the galaxy will be able to see a renewed and improved Order. Doesn’t hurt to try.

That said, they still have rather far to go, at least from what Meetra have seen of the…’student’ she’s currently training.  
As there are so few of them currently in the enclave, she figured that the best way to proceed was to actually spend a lot of time in private with each of those she needs to train, rather than tutor them simultaneously. Today, she’s trying to test Mira’s defenses, for example, and as they’re using training sabers, she’s really attempting to push the former bounty hunter as much as she can.  
  
Mira has shown quite a bit of interest in some of the mental exercises which Meetra has helped her with, but she has not been as eager when it comes to the necessary close combat sessions. Probably has something to do with the style she’s used to. As she wants things to be as authentic as possible, Meetra uses her usual twin-blade approach, launching as many strikes as she’s able to, rather than putting a lot of strength behind them.

Occasionally, Mira manages to hold her back with quite an impressive amount of tenacity. This, unfortunately, doesn’t last for long. Whenever she encourages a counterattack to happen, Mira gets far too distracted with trying to find it, and therefore forsakes a lot of her defensive maneuvers. Just like she has done several times already, Meetra takes advantage of this, slipping through and strikes the hunter across the chest once and then quickly hitting her side with the other blade.  
There are small shocks emitted from the weapons, to further incentivize one to not getting it, and as she’s already quite tired, Mira grits her teeth and stumbles backwards when she feels the impact. As she’s completely defenseless, Meetra performs a quick move and disarms her, allowing the blade to go flying off to the side.

Mira falls to her knees with a heavy sigh and looks up only in time to see one of Meetra’s blades pointed in her face. She rolls her eyes and raises her hands without too much care.  
“Alright, alright, you got me. Again.”  
Sweat pours down from her forehead while she breathes heavily.  
“This is getting ridiculous.”

Meetra smiles and pulls her weapons back, pushing the buttons on the hilts to turn off the power.  
“Don’t say that. I thought you were doing fine.”

Mira arches a brow skeptically, her hazel eyes meeting the light brown ones of her instructor.  
“Don’t patronize me. I know my own limits and when I just don’t stand a chance. This is one of those times.”

“Don’t give up so easily. You’ll get the hang of it eventually.”

Looking up while folding her arms, she gives Meetra an unsatisfied gaze.  
“Easy for you to say - you’re not the one facing constant failure.”

In an effort to show some compassion, Meetra drops her blades on the ground and sits down on the floor with Mira, while crossing her legs. The material beneath them is compact, but not as rough as steel. It’s more like a slightly hardened mat, placed here to soften falls in combat. Pretty useful for a training facility.  
“Look, just ‘cause you can’t beat me, doesn’t mean you’re failing, Mira. Remember, I was a Jedi Knight before and you’re basically nothing more than a padawan. Can’t expect you to defeat me when I’m actively trying to stop you.”

She diverts her attention away from her ‘master’ and looks upon some of the items placed around the walls as decoration. The holographic flames are a bit weird to her, but perhaps they’re meant to instill some kind of mood for this area. If it’s supposed to be calming, it isn’t working on her.  
“What, are you gonna tell me you failed just as much during your training?”

“All the time. That’s the way of an initiate.”

“But you were a kid. I’m not.”

“So? Doesn’t mean there’s a whole lot of difference between us. This is new to you, just like it was for me.”

Another exhale, which relieves her of some of the tension.  
“I bet it’s that positivity of yours. You mind rubbing some of it off on me?”

Meetra emits a gentle laugh while she shakes her head.  
“I’ve got more bitterness than you think.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”  
Mira turns her eyes towards the discarded weapons on the floor, shaking her head in their direction.  
“I think it has a lot to do with these lightsticks. They’re so…impractical.”

This isn’t the first time she expresses such an opinion, but Meetra isn’t entirely surprised to hear it again. It’s hard to pinpoint whether it’s an excuse or that they’re just not compatible.  
“I dunno, I don’t really agree. Sure, they’re not perfect, but lightsabers have a lot of finesse. I know these are training blades, so you can’t really feel it, but when you hold a real saber in actual combat, they’re more than just a weapon. They’re extensions of yourself, intertwined with your body and mind. I feel like I use them as easily as if I were to punch or kick someone.”

Mira raises an eyebrow once more, seeming very skeptical.  
“Yeah, that sounds like bantha fodder to me.”

Meetra leans back where she’s sitting, sliding her hands backwards on the mattress for support.  
“You say that now, but you’ll see I’m right later on.”

“Pft, yeah sure, if you’re a brute like yourself.”

“Hey, I’m no brute! I’m like an elegant dancer. Uh, elegant dancer with deadly swords. You know what I mean.”

This sentiment makes Mira smirk somewhat.  
“If you call what you’re doing in battle ‘dancing’, I don’t want to see what-“

“Don’t even say it! Look, all I’m saying is, you’ll enjoy it. Trust me.”

Mira shrugs nonchalantly while looking to the side once more.  
“Alright, guess I’ll have to take your word for it. I mean, unless we can test it with some real ones soon enough. These shock sticks aren’t really very useful to me.”

“Well, it’s a good way to start off, that’s all. If you can’t learn to use these ones, you might have difficulties in the future when you get your lightsabers.”

Mira regards one of Meetra’s discarded weapons and grabs the tip of it to pull it closer. She rolls it around in her hands while examining the design.  
“Wouldn’t it be possible to make them a bit different? Like, a sword isn’t always the best kind of weapon. It’d be really cool if we could develop a unique one. Maybe mix a lightsaber and blaster together, so you can shoot your enemies when they’re too far away?”

To demonstrate, Mira turns the blade around and pretends to fire shots from the bottom of the hilt at Meetra. She tilts her head doubtfully.  
“…what? Like some kind of blastersaber thing?”

“Well yeah, but with a less stupid name, of course.”

“I uh, dunno about that, Mira. That sounds kinda dangerous. And weird.”

She smiles wryly while shaking her head.  
“Yeah, of course you’d say that. You’re stuck in the Jedi mindset and don’t see the benefits of this. I’ll speak to Bao-Dur and see what he can do.”

Meetra doesn’t really like the direction that their conversation is going, and she raises a hand to use the Force, pulling the training blade out of Mira’s hands.  
“I don’t feel very comfortable authorizing an experimental weapon like that, Mira. Could blow up in your face.”

“It’s cool, don’t need your permission. Just pretend you didn’t hear it and I’ll get to tinkering.”

Raising a hand to her forehead, Meetra rubs it to ease some of her hesitation. She hopes that does not catch on in the future of the Order. They could create a really destructive trend.  
“Just…be careful.”

“Don’t worry, I will try. Oh yeah, and while we’re on the topic of change, you mind if we get some new clothes too?”

“What’s wrong with our robes?”

Mira grabs the front of her grey one and pulls at it a bit, to show how warm she is.  
“They’re so confining and stuffy. On top of the fact that, you know, they don’t actually protect us at all. Don’t see how you can stand ‘em.”

She shrugs in return while regarding the brown she’s wearing.  
“You think so? I kinda feel the opposite, actually. Too much armor tends to wear me down. Also, if you’re worried about protection, I wouldn’t call your last outfit very good at providing such things.”

This of course amuses the hunter.  
“Tsk, maybe not for certain combat situations, but it was a lot more efficient than what you’re imagining. Could hide some stuff beneath the coat and my pants. Besides, it was a lot more comfortable.”

“Yeah well, if you could get used to that, you’ll get used to this as well.  
Or you can undress and fight in less clothes, I guess. Your choice.”

A small grin spreads across Mira’s lips as she leans forward and starts to pull down the top of her robes a bit, revealing the skin beneath her neck. She doesn’t actually show much, but mere implies it.  
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

She gets a smirk in return, but Meetra also rolls her eyes.  
“You’re attractive, Mira, but not irresistible.”

“Tell yourself that when you’re dreaming about me later.”  
While saying this, Mira suddenly notices something behind her teacher, by one of the openings to the room. She tries to calm down, but keeps a smile on her lips.  
“Think someone else might want your attention, by the way. Your lovebird seems to have gotten jealous.”

Meetra blinks and glances over her shoulder to see the darkly clothed woman standing in the entrance. Visas watches them from afar, hands put together in front of her, but doesn’t approach.  
She returns her attention to her student, however.  
“Tsk, you know that Visas doesn’t act like that, right?”

If she gave Meetra any doubtful looks previously, the one Mira hands her now is thoroughly enhanced, interwoven with a bit of amusement.  
“Hah! Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, boss. Think she wants to talk to you anyway, so how about I go hit the showers and leave you two be?”

Rising to her feet, Meetra exhales and inclines her head.  
“Yeah, you’re right. We’ve done what we can for today anyhow. I’ll see you in here tomorrow again.”

Mira turns around, lifts her hand and waves her fingers somewhat behind her.  
“Sure, I’ll try not to miss it. Give her some smooches from me.”

It’s likely that her partner wouldn’t appreciate hearing that, but the suggestion is certainly not unwanted.  
Meetra grabs all three of the training blades and approaches Visas, who remains close to some of the weapon holders. While she knows where she’s going, she can’t help but watch her companion instead.  
It’s been several months now since they first met, perhaps even a year, but even less since they confessed their emotions. Meetra has had various lovers during the years of her exile, but never found anyone that she could truly connect with. Somehow, all that changed with the miraluka she’s now approaching. She often finds herself simply staring at Visas, as she enjoys studying her girlfriend's mannerisms. Right now, though, she’d prefer to touch rather than merely watch.

Visas is the first to speak, when Meetra is still a few meters away.  
“She needs to work on her stances.”

“Maybe. But hey, at least she’s determined, right?”

She goes quiet for a moment, assessing the response before folding her arms.  
“She needs to be more confident in her use of the Force.”

Meetra goes past Visas and drops the blades down onto their holders while she continues.  
“She’ll learn. It’s hard to adapt at the age she is, but not impossible.”

In the meantime, Visas has her sight on the training field still, remaining resolute.  
“You’re too lenient with her, the same as you are with most of them.”

After she’s done, she walks up to the miraluka again, stopping by her side.  
“And I think you can be a little bit too harsh.”

Visas sighs as her shoulders slump. Here comes the scolding.  
“At this pace, we will never rebuild the Order. Is that not the whole reason why we decided to come here?”

Meetra shrugs slightly, not seeming as bothered by it.  
“Sure, but we’re not exactly in a hurry, are we? These things take time. You can’t rush people’s education.”

“Perhaps, but these are extraordinary circumstances. If what Darth Traya said was correct, we may be needed at some point. We must be ready when that occurs.”

Her argument is not without merit, something Meetra can clearly see. She tends to have an intriguing perspective on these matters.  
“A fair point, but we have to look beyond the conflict, Visas. This is a whole new experience to most of them. Hell, it is to me as well, as I’ve never had to guide people in this way before. I think it’s better if we all get used to it, especially the training program, as well as our lives here. For most of you, it might be your home from now on.”

“I agree, but we must also not lose focus. We cannot neglect our duty and what is expected of us.”

Don’t start slacking, pretty much. Meetra has gotten rather impressed with how quickly Visas adapts to the idea of being a Jedi.  
“Dear, listen…I know you want us to be prepared for the possibility of us facing enemies in the future and that we must all be ready to fight, but we shouldn’t get too hasty. You don’t really want us to make the same mistakes that the old Jedi Order did, right? This is what led us into the problems with the last two wars and the whole divide they created.”

The room remains in silence as Visas contemplates her words. Eventually, she relents to her companion’s wisdom.  
“No, I…I do not wish to become like them.”  
She turns her head to regard Meetra.  
“Your old masters were wrong about you, as much as they were wrong about the Force. Darth Traya, she saw your potential at least, even if she squandered it. I do not like the idea of thinking in either of their ways.  
However, I still believe it would be wise to aspire to some kind of policy or code. If we do not, we may eventually descend into chaos.”

Finding herself rather amused by Visas ambitious view for the new Order, she smirks and steps a bit closer. Lifting a hand, she gently grabs Visas’ chin, which is not met with resistance.  
“Mm, with such clear goals, maybe you should be the new Grand Master, huh?”

Tilting her head forward, she closes her eyes and pushes their lips together in a fairly intense kiss. They’re about the same height, so it is quite easy to indulge themselves. Meetra thoroughly enjoys this kind of intimacy with her beloved, but even more than that, she knows how much Visas takes pleasure from it. The miraluka would definitely not admit to it, but with how closely connected they are, she can sense all those emotions without much effort. It is one of Visas’ weaknesses.  
When they finally separate, it takes her a few seconds to steady herself as she absorbs the taste of Meetra, before she finally locates a retort.  
“You are mocking me.”

Meetra can’t help but let a short laughter escape her. Of course, that’s what Visas would see it as. She was teasing, after all.  
“I’m not! I was serious with that proposal. Sort of.  
You would make a better leader than me, anyway. We both know it.”

The room remains quiet for a short time again, until Visas thinks it’s best to divert their attentions.  
“It is good that you decided to end your sparring session. I need you.”

Meetra blinks.  
“Oh? What fo-“  
She doesn’t manage to finish, as Visas grabs her hand and immediately begins pulling her away. Meetra feels a bit surprised by the insistence.  
“Uh, you mind telling me where we’re going?”

Visas’ face is turned forward as she speaks, but still pulls somewhat forcefully.  
“We need to discuss certain interior design choices for the enclave. It has been a while since it saw any changes and I think it is time we handle it.”

“…what, now?”

“Yes. I have prepared some alternatives and have waited for your input. I am sure you can spare the time.”

It’s not so much a question nor a suggestion, as a demand. Meetra smiles and shakes her head amusedly. Perhaps Mira may have been somewhat correct in her assumption after all.  
She picks up her pace and then hooks her arm with Visas’.  
“If you insist, beautiful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _As you might've seen, my Exile is a little bit different from Revan. I tend to view Raekah as somewhat more serious and disillusioned from her experiences, which affects her nature. In contrast, Meetra has a more playful and confident attitude, much in thanks to the kind of Force bonds that she's able to create with her companions. That said, Meetra does have a bitterness hiding beneath, mostly turned at the Jedi Order (or what it used to be) and the Republic. She sometimes expresses this through sarcasm. I imagine Mira and Atton's presences have enhanced this even further._   
>  _And yeah, I know you technically teach them some stuff in-game, but I feel like that happened so quickly. Basically, it's here on Telos IV that Meetra has begun to really make them her students...sort of._


	8. Limits of sensation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I'm not entirely satisfied with the outcome of this chapter, but I'm not sure exactly why that is. There's just something with it that I feel like I left out._   
>  _However, I have lots of words written and I'm not just gonna throw them away so, yeah._

Meetra’s relationship with Visas is one that she would classify as both complex and simple, depending how you look at it. It may seem slightly strange from the outside at first, but once it is examined, the traits of their union aren’t all that difficult to spot. It is built upon a few things – understanding, passion and mutual loss. However, it would be foolish to leave out the last definition for it, which is the way they contrast each other; Visas’ stoicism versus Meetra’s teasing mannerism. It’s part of why it works, and despite what might be seen as opposites, it’s why they are drawn together. It may not be something that either of them put a lot of thought into, but it’s definitely present in most of their interactions.

This day, Meetra is standing among some of the lower areas of the temple, where one might find the archives. In the room she’s currently occupying, they have stored several items of importance which wouldn’t fit in some of the normal containment slots they have, or objects that are simply better when put on display. However, she’s not actually situated by any of them, nor keeping an eye on them. When Visas entered, she knew that she had to look down here, but didn’t quite realize why.

“I thought I might find you in here.”

Meetra blinks, glances over her shoulder towards the miraluka and offers a smile.  
“Oh, hey. Sorry, was I needed for something?”

Visas approaches her, but slowly shakes her head along the way.  
“No, I simply wished to locate you.”  
She stops next to her human companion, at first turned to her, before looking at the wall. Her Force sight allows her to see that there is something placed upon it, but not the exact inscription. She leans closer and runs her fingers across its surface, without Meetra commenting on the gesture. Afterwards, she steps back and remains silent for a moment, trying to think of something to say.  
“A grave?”

Meetra clears her throat and corrects her hair a bit, pushing some of it away from her face. It tends to stray somewhat.  
“Well uh, more of a memorial plaque, I guess.”

“For Kreia.”

That was closer to a statement than a question.  
“Basically, yes. I wasn’t sure if anyone else wanted to help me, so I asked T3 to do it.”

The little utility droid can be a peculiar entity, but at least it is always ready to help, even with this kind of metal plaque, it seems. Visas continues to ‘stare’ at it, even if she can’t properly see its creation.  
“I don’t understand. Why would you want to make one for her?”

“I felt like she deserves it. No one else would want to do such a thing for her.”

Visas redirects her attention fully towards Meetra instead, while also folding her arms.  
“She manipulated all of us. She tried to turn us into her pawns and utilize us in her disturbing game. Except for you, she cared about no one and even her supposed interest in you was warped.”

Meetra sighs, knowing that this would come. It’s not really undeserved either, just a little bit unfair, at least in her mind.  
“Look, I realize how you and…probably most of the others feel as well, but I don’t think that means she deserves to be forgotten. Despite it all, she taught me a lot of things and while her methods were flawed, I can’t honestly say that some of her emotions were unjustified.”

“You are making excuses for her.”

She shakes her head, trying to give Visas a firm and yet not hostile gaze.  
“No, I’m not. It’s not like I’m saying I didn’t want to kill her. I made my decision and I won’t go back on that. I just feel that she did good things despite the bad ones and that shouldn’t be forgotten.”

Visas stands and watches her for a few moments, understanding she can’t convince Meetra of anything else. Therefore, she turns back to watch the wall instead.  
“You are strange, as always.”

The comment has a positive effect on Meetra at least, as she begins to laugh gently.  
“Yeah, I guess so. But hey, you like that side of me, right?”

“I have no comment.”

While smirking, she still moves closer, enough to plant a soft kiss on the miraluka’s cheek. There’s no resistance, at least. After that, she leans her head down on Visas’ shoulder, resting it there for the time being. They’ve had similar conversations in the past, which usually ends up in comparable conclusions. There’s no real animosity as a result of such discussions, it is simple one of the ways they tend to disagree.

However, the sight of a grave, even if Meetra doesn’t wish to call it that, makes Visas think of something familiar.  
“Back on my world, we handled matters of the dead differently.”

Meetra feels how Visas now wraps an arm around her, and she strokes herself a bit closer. Not as unaffected, after all.  
“Oh?”

“On Katarr, at least in the community I lived within, the bodies of the deceased were required to be disposed of as soon as possible. This was most often done by putting them on a flammable area and lighting it aflame. This flame then had to be kept active for several days.”

This doesn’t sound very weird in comparison to other cultures Meetra had hear of and encountered around the galaxy, but she feels like the miraluka on that world likely had their own reasons.  
“That’s interesting. Why did it have to be maintained for that long?”

“It was the belief of much of my people that their bodies and essence, much like the flame, had the Force flowing fiercely through them. When our life leaves the physical realm, that essence is of course transferred away elsewhere into the Force, but the body is left behind. Through the fire, we bring life back to it, allowing it to experience being alive one last time, before fully dispersing in unison with the fire.”

“Huh. Why several days, though? Surely it could be consumed faster than that.”

“Perhaps, but many saw it as a courtesy both to the deceased, in order to experience a pleasant final moment in existence, as well as a courtesy for their family and friends, to spend that time in mourning.”

Meetra finally inclines her head, recognizing the reasoning behind it, even if she’s not seen that much herself.  
“Quite curious, but a nice gesture as well, I suppose.”  
She didn’t exactly have that kind of chance with Kreia’s body, seeing where they left it. Then again, perhaps that was for the best.

“Did you not have anything similar on your homeworld?”

“Well, not exactly. Although, I don’t quite remember the entire details of it.”

Visas ponders this answer, but also something else that eludes her.  
“Hmm. I realize that I have not inquired as to where you were actually born.”

Meetra arches a brow, finally standing up somewhat straighter again, but she still wants some intimacy with her girlfriend, so she doesn’t step away.  
“I guess you haven’t, no. If you’re curious, I was born on Leotr. It’s a planet in the Inner Rim. Fairly calm world, not a lot of major settlements and it hasn’t seen anything of the big conflicts we’ve suffered in the last several decades.”

“I see. And they did not have any burials?”

“Well, they probably did, but you have to remember that I was taken into the Jedi at a young age. I didn’t really have time to witness anything like that, probably because my parents didn’t want me to go through it.”  
She grabs the ponytail that she has put her hair into and strokes her fingers through it.  
“I do remember this memorial wall or whatever you wanna call it, that my home town had built in the outskirts. Whenever someone passed away, they put the name and date down. Sometimes, people would come by and reminisce a bit about certain members they cared for, or just in general.  
Oh yeah, I also recall this remembrance day that was held once a year. A lot of people from around the town sat down together to eat and converse. I suppose it was both a memorial and a celebration.”

Visas inclines her head as she listens with interest.  
“Did you enjoy this festivity?”

“I dunno. It was alright, I guess? I was still too young to properly get it. I think I just enjoyed the food.”  
She smiles while Visas shakes her head a bit, but finds it understandable.  
“Anyway, it wasn’t until I joined the Jedi that I actually started thinking about how we treat the dead and what death actually means. Well, at least to them. They definitely had a different perspective than my family did.”

Visas doesn’t directly comment upon it, seeing as how her own culture’s views are actually more in line with the Jedi. She leaves it be, while she instead pursues a topic not all too far from it.  
“Meetra, have you been considering anything of the impact we will have on the future?”

“Impact? What do you mean?”

“Most of the old Order is now dead. Out of its members, especially those who were influential, only Atris remains and she will not have much of a say anymore on what we build.”  
This is debatable, but Meetra doesn’t wish to interrupt her and get into it just yet.  
“Those with you were never Jedi to begin with. The Force may come naturally to me and I may be trained within its usage, but I was never a member of your Order either, until now.”

Meetra inclines her head slowly, trying to examine what she’s saying.  
“Right, yeah, this is all true. So, what's your point? That we’ll forget who we are?”

“No. I am saying that we have the opportunity to alter certain matters in regard to what the Jedi once was, as well as what it could be. That is, if it is within our interest to do so.”

It is definitely true that they’re at an intersection, a point in time when everything could change, if they wish for it to happen.  
“Hmm, you’re right. I…don’t really know what to say though. What about you? Do you wish to rewrite history?”

“Not necessarily and I do not mean to insinuate that it is what we have to do. However, we have the opportunity to alter the Order’s philosophy on certain matters. One such thing could be emotions.”

With how these two interact and remain close to one another, it’s not a very surprising viewpoint to hear from Visas. But it’s not just the two of them – this idea can technically expand to every member of Meetra’s old crew on the Ebon Hawk. She doubts that any of them would be particularly glad to discard their emotions or their feelings upon what they’ve experienced. It would be difficult to do so anyway, seeing as it has been so ingrained.  
“I hadn’t really thought about that, actually. Now that you mention it, perhaps it would be time to do so. Or at least, you know, discuss it.”

“We could bring it up during the next meeting.”

They have some of those at least once a week. This enclave is fairly big, mostly because it was built to house a lot of people, but since they’re so few, it allows the occupants to keep themselves isolated. It might even have continued that way, if Meetra hadn't suggested that they all meet up every now and then.  
“Mm, I suppose that’s a reasonable thing to do. However…I also feel like we need to be careful. Some things may be best to leave intact and allow later generations to make their own decisions.”

Visas tilts her head curiously.  
“Even if you disagree with these viewpoints?”

“Well, I’m obviously not gonna teach any of you to strictly follow the Jedi Code, but that’s just my philosophy. I hope to be able to teach one thing, while still letting our archives offer another belief, for the sake of having options.”

“That may not be healthy from a long-term perspective, however.”

“Eh, true. Not gonna claim that I’m super wise or anything, so I don’t know what’s ideal. Perhaps it’s best to have this discussion among all of us.  
Besides, I’m not even the Grand Master! I’ll just leave that to whoever gets the role.”

Visas watches her for a few moments, and while she’s amused, there’s no way to really see it on her expression.  
“So, you are transferring your responsibilities to someone else once more.”

This brings a smirk to Meetra’s lips.  
“Pff, what do you mean _my_ responsibilities?! Just because I’m the only Jedi Knight here, doesn’t mean that I have to take care of everything!”

“You are the most suited. Besides, if there is an election, everyone would pick you as the Grand Master.”

“Yeah well, that was usually up to the Jedi Council in the past-“

“Which we do not currently have. Technically, the members we have right now will become the Jedi Council, as we are everything that is left.”

Meetra shakes her head, emitting a brief sigh.  
“Yeah yeah, okay, I get it. But I’m not going to accept any roles before it’s decided!”  
She raises a hand up to Visas’ cheek, staying close to her for the time being.  
“So, to quickly switch topics, was there something on your mind?”

“In regard to what?”

“You came here looking for me, right? I just assumed you had some reason for doing so.”

It appears as if Visas momentarily forgot about this, as she opens her mouth, but then quickly closes it again to work on her reply.  
“Oh. Yes, I did.”

“So, what’s up?”

“Well…nothing in particular. I simply had some free time.”

Visas tends to keep herself busy with helping out around the enclave, often assisting with philosophical or practical uses of their training methods. This is done in between her own private sessions, where she tries to improve herself both physically and mentally.  
“Oh? And you wanted to spend it with me?”

When Visas clears her throat, she almost appears embarrassed. It’s difficult for most others to see, but Meetra has by now learned to read the slight movements upon her face or what she does with her hands. It’s cute, due to how subtle it is.  
“Yes. I thought we could perhaps…meditate.”

If Meetra had been smirking earlier, it was nothing compared to what she does now. Gently taking both of Visas’ arms into her hands, Meetra strokes them around herself, so that she's being embraced by the miraluka. They were already pretty close, but now they’re as intimate as they can be.  
“Meditating, huh? Is that what we call it now?”

As she has her hands free, she places one along Visas’ cheek and chin, tilting it so that she can push their lips into an enduring kiss. It is Meetra who tends to be the instigator for these moments of intimacy, despite that Visas probably enjoys them even more. Not to say the human doesn’t, but she also enjoys actually sensing how her partner’s emotions react to it. She can feel it within her mind, fluttering and swirling around. While Meetra technically has a bond with all of her companions, each one is different, and this particular connection simply happens to be that which she enjoys the most. She can sense what response she will get when touching Visas almost instantly, which is why it is such an amazing feeling.

On top of this, she also finds Visas’ behavior to be appealing, especially because of how shy she can be. Most of the time, the miraluka is fairly matter-of-fact about what they need to speak of and some might even call her harsh. But with intimacy, she simply doesn’t quite know how to approach it and therefore tries to use some excuse.

After a few moments, far too short for them to be fully satisfied, Meetra breaks it off, but doesn’t pull away. She lowers her voice, speaking in a suggestive tone.  
“You know, if you happen to receive it, you’d make an _incredibly_ hot Grand Master. Some people, not naming names here, might even be kinda distracted by it.”

Visas keeps her face focused in the direction of Meetra’s and after a few moments of silence, she sighs. She lets go of Meetra’s waist and instead lifts her hands up to the human’s cheeks.  
“Sometimes, I wonder how you were even accepted into the Jedi at all.”

Meetra burst into a hearty laughter at this point, which is only temporarily silenced by Visas pushing their lips together once more. She’s quite certain that Kreia harbored similar feelings back then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I know that wookieepedia states the Exile's homeworld is Dantooine, but it doesn't actually say that she was born there so, I just made up a whole new place._


	9. Twisted wrench

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah so, I guess I'm mostly doing a bunch of "this is what everyone is doing now" chapters before Revan returns. I sort of want to show how I view Meetra's relationship with everyone._

The rather small hangar inside the Jedi Enclave on Telos IV has, interestingly enough, seen a lot of activity in the past few months. Previously, that would be a strange occurrence, but since the arrival of a certain zabrak, who considers this facility to be the best place to work and stash his equipment, it has seen a lot of changes done to it. Extra terminals, workstations, benches and all sorts of tools have been purchased and stored here. There are other places to create a workshop, but this seems to be the one he prefers. The Ebon Hawk is also stationed in here, obviously, which makes it easy for him to focus on it.

In fact, as Meetra wanders through the only entrance, she hears quite a bit of noise around the ship. When she sweeps the area with her eyes, she can see Bao-Dur sitting by some kind of machine that has a huge wire connected into the bottom of the Ebon Hawk and a datapad attached to the machine. He checks something on the pad, but it’s not the only location where there’s commotion. In fact, there seems to be someone on top of the ship as well, which, by the sound of the voice, should be the other of her two male companions.

“Alright, try it now.”  
When he gets the other man’s signal, Bao-Dur pushes a few buttons on the device and one of the guns at the top of the Hawk begins swinging around quite wildly.  
“Whoa! What the hell?! Watch where you move that thing! Almost got me straight in the head!”

Bao-Dur looks amused as he shakes his head.  
“I did tell you to be patient and keep your eyes on the task.”

“What are you talking about? My eyes were on the panel the whole time!”

“Perhaps you should focus on what you’re doing rather than talking then.”

“…and that’s coming from you?!”

Meetra smiles, finding it both funny and kinda silly to see these two mess around. When she comes closer, Bao-Dur turns to look at her and inclines his head, but remains seated.  
“Good morning, General. Something I can do for you?”

She has her arms folded and gazes at him, but also giving the ship a glance.  
“Just having a quick look around. How are things going?”

“Oh, they are going quite well, for the most part. I was doing some calibrations yesterday and noticed that the guns on the roof were a bit out of balance. Figured it might be best to get that sorted as soon as possible.”

“Out of balance? Uh, is it critical?”

The zabrak shakes his head, raising his normal arm to scratch his neck slightly.  
“Not right now, but it could be after a time. That is why it is preferable to correct these issues as quickly as possible.”

“Well, I’m glad someone is thinking about it. I probably would’ve missed it completely.”

“That is why you have me, right?  
It would’ve gone faster though, if _someone_ hadn’t been trying to mess around.”

He raises his voice just a bit in order for Atton to hear him up top, which he certainly does.  
“Hey, I just answered your call! Don’t blame me for the lack of quality.”

Atton Rand. Definitely not the type of person that Meetra thought she’d associate with a few years ago. Or perhaps she would, after her exile, but not beforehand. Similar to everyone else in this enclave, Meetra has been able to befriend him, which is probably because they have similar attitudes and share a sense of humor, even if it tends to be sarcastic. She may not have returned his other affections, but he eventually got over that.  
“Well, I’m sure he’s doing his best, right?”

Bao-Dur snorts in amusement and shrugs.  
“Yeah, I suppose. It is nice to have another helper as well.”

“Oh? Haven’t been able to rebuild the remote yet?”

“Well, I have been trying to work on it from time to time, but since I have to do so from scratch, I figured I might as well see if I can change the blueprints around a bit. It's a lengthy process, and I have so much other work to do here. Visas constantly asks me to help her with certain devices that hasn’t seen maintenance in a while.”

It is true that there’s a lot of work to do and on top of the training he also has to commit to, Meetra is surprised her old friend can keep up. She has asked him if he wants a break from the lessons, but he appears to like the heavy workload. Perhaps it keeps his mind off other things.  
“Don’t you have Atton now, though?”

“Eh, that is true, but I do prefer droids. They’re easier to cooperate with. Unfortunately, T3 is busy with repairs elsewhere.”

They hear Atton again from the roof, still not fully visible from where he’s trying to adjust something on the guns.  
“Oh, so I’m not good enough for ya, eh?”

“I did not say that. Just saying that you’re not _as_ good.”

“You’re hurting my organic feelings up here, buddy!”

Bao-Dur smirks a little bit, seemingly enjoying the weird game they play.  
“If you want, we could remove some of those unnecessary parts and replace them with implants and enhancements.”

“Oh yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“It would make you a lot more efficient.”

They hear Atton applying some tool to the guns and then tossing some kind of discarded chip down to the floor.  
“C’mon, admit it, big guy. You’d be nothing without me. I mean, who’d even fly this thing, huh? I’m the only one with the skills.”

“Maybe. But who has to fix it when you inevitably break it?”

“…T3?”

Bao-Dur arches a brow, but continues with his prodding.  
“And who has to fix the droid whenever it needs maintenance after all that hard work?”

“…okay, fine, you do. But I’m not sure what sort of point you’re making here.”

“Just trying to establish who it is that needs the other one the most.”

Meetra chuckles as she listens to them. She’s glad that they get along at least. She turns to Bao-Dur with a smile.  
“You know, if he gives you any trouble, you can always come to me and I’ll sort him out.”

Suddenly, Atton shuffles a bit and looks down past the edge of the roof. He’s still lying down, his hair a bit ruffled and there’s some grease on his face.  
“Excuse me? And how exactly would you ‘sort me out’, huh?”

With her arms still folded, she angles her head and gives him a smug look.  
“Probably the same way I did during our last sparring session. Haven’t forgotten that, have you?”

He rolls his eyes in response.  
“Pft, that wasn’t even fair! I wasn’t prepared.”

“It was a duel, Atton. We were even trying out stances.”

“…if that was pazaak, you’d not stand a chance.”

“Perhaps you should learn to keep as much focus in combat as you do with your cards.”

“Tsk.”  
He turns around to lie down on his back again, and a moment after, he tosses the tool he’s been using straight over the edge.  
“Catch.”

It flips around and is dangerously close to hitting the floor before Meetra catches it with the Force. She sighs to herself and then places it among the other tools.  
“You should be more careful with this stuff.”

“Nah, I trust you. Can you get me an 11-A Micro-adjustor?”

She arches a brow and puts her hands at her hips.  
“What? Can’t you just go get it yourself?”

“Oh, I see. So the mighty Jedi Exile is too good for helping mortals like us, is she?”

Meetra shakes her head, still a bit amused and gives Bao-Dur a look. The zabrak smiles at her and then shrugs, letting her do as she wants to. After that, she uses the Force to grab the entire toolbox and telekinetically sends it up onto the roof, dropping it down hard on the surface, which startles Atton.  
“Knock yourself out.”

“Shit! Watch where you drop that. What is it with you and laser-arm always wanting to freak me out?”

The zabrak begins checking his datapad again.  
“We simply have a similar fine taste, that’s all.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say.”

Bao-Dur does give Meetra a slight glance however, as he appears more curious instead.  
“So, was there anything you wanted, General? I assume you didn’t just come here to help me pester our dear pilot.”

She shakes her head briefly.  
“As fun as that may be, it wasn’t. I actually came to speak with Atton.”

Atton continues to work while he responds.  
“Ooh, our illustrious master wants to have a word, huh? Well, go ahead, I’m all ears.”

Meetra has assumed a more solemn gaze now as well, putting her hands behind her back.  
“Well, I should warn you that you may wish to speak with me in private instead. It’s about certain elements of your Jedi training.”

“Hmm? Nah, that’s alright. Can’t leave our engineer all alone, can we? Besides, I don’t mind if he gets to listen. Go right ahead.”

Meetra sighs slightly, hoping he’s truly prepared for it. Sounds like he doesn’t really know what she’s talking about.  
“I’ve heard certain…rumors, let’s say, about your opinion regarding some of the texts I’ve asked you all to read. Based on this hearsay, it seems you don’t agree with my selection, and have certain problems with it. Which is interesting, seeing as how I’ve not heard anything directly from you.”

For a moment, things go quiet on the roof and the duo on the floor share a look of concern, wondering if it hit him a bit too hard. It appears he hesitates how to reply.  
“Did she tell you that?”

He’s speaking of Mira, of course. Meetra knows that those two also share certain interests, plus a skepticism for Jedi stuff, which is why they sometimes exchange opinions. She had noticed this earlier, but didn’t want to interfere. She didn’t feel it was her place to do so, at least not until recently.  
“She did, but I had already suspected as much. I figured you would come to me eventually.”  
The seconds go by, but Atton remains silent. Perhaps she needs to show her feelings on the matter.  
“I’m not mad, if that’s what you think. I simply would’ve preferred that you take any complaints you have to me directly, rather than gossip with the others.”

Atton sighs briefly, putting down the tools next to him.  
“Yeah, I…I’m sorry about that.”  
He shifts around a bit and gets back into a seated position. He’s usually pretty good at masking his emotions, or at least his thoughts, but as he has grown more comfortable with everyone, he hasn’t done that properly in a while. That’s why she can see how he looks unsure. His eyes are trained on the floor, but not at her directly.  
“It’s just that…well, you know how I feel about that whole Jedi philosophy thing. I’m not into it. After what I went through…I can’t just read through all of their stuff and take it at face value.”

It’s very likely that he would have some harsher words, from what Mira had told her, but may be holding back around Meetra.  
“I know, which is why I would’ve wanted to hear what you have to say about it.”

He puts his hands together, fidgeting a bit while he scowls.  
“I…I didn’t want to upset you. Restoring the Order to what it was and all its teachings, is important to you.”

She smiles slightly at him, trying to not seem as stern.  
“I appreciate that you consider my feelings, Atton, but to me, it is important that my students enjoy what they’re doing as well. Besides, I think you may have misunderstood my intent. I want you to read through those texts and scrolls, but I’m not saying you should swallow every bit of the contents. I want you to understand what the Order used to be, and how Jedi through history have molded our philosophy and tenets. That’s not to say that you have to agree with everything.”

Atton loosens up somewhat and turns his eyes towards hers.  
“So…you’re okay with criticism? Like, a lot of it.”

“Oh, definitely. Hell, I’ve read through a lot of those texts and absorbed some of the holocrons, and I don’t even agree with half of them. But it’s important to know what and where the Jedi Order has been, so that we know where to go in the future. Without the past, we can’t avoid doing the same mistakes again.  
Plus, I want you all to have different perspectives, at least certain ones, so that you’re able to see what others feel. I mean, how many Jedi have you truly heard from? Me and Revan? That’s not a very big selection.”

He contemplates her words, seeing the reasoning behind them and nods in agreement.  
“Hmm, I guess you have a good point there. Some of the texts, like a handful, have been…interesting. Others, not so much.  
I mean, the biggest problem I have is the weird Jedi absolutism. It’s stupid and I don’t like it.”

Her smile widens and she inclines her head.  
“I’d be disappointed if you did.”

Atton raises an eyebrow and offers a similar expression.  
“Really? I mean, I know you’re a little bit different from other Jedi, but I didn’t figure you’d be so open about it.”

“Oh, c’mon now, you should know me by now, Atton. Have I ever shown to have the same ideals as the Order I’ve spoken of?”

“Well, no, but I figured that it might be different when it comes to all that Force junk.”

“The Force is important to learn about, especially the fact that you must be in control of yourself in order to wield it, but that’s not to say that the Jedi of old knew so much more than what we do now. Not most of them, anyway. A lot of them were just kinda old and grumpy.”

He grins a little bit and shakes his head at how casually she dismisses some of them, but that’s kind of why he likes her as well.  
“I suppose you’re right, yeah. Alright, guess I can continue with a little bit more of an open mind. You should probably get ready for my complaints about some of the stupid shit that’s available, though.”

“I don’t mind at all! It would be refreshing to hear your opinions. Mira mostly just shrugs and calls it crap. That’s not wrong per se, but it’s important to understand why it’s crap.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ve got some reasons for my opinions.”

“Glad to hear it. And hey, in the future, if you happen to want to write some texts of your own, on the Jedi, the Force, flying techniques or other similar topics, I wouldn’t mind if you give it a try. I’m sure we can find a place for them in the archives.”

Atton widens his eyes and blinks.  
“Wait, really? You’d allow me to put my thoughts in the Order’s archives?”

“Of course. You, just like all the rest, are part of this organization now. That means you are allowed to contribute to it and I’m very much hoping you will. Visas and Brianna are sure to do it, as is Bao-Dur."

The zabrak inclines his head eagerly when he hears his name being spoken.  
“Definitely. I have a lot to say about the Jedi’s lack of interest in engineering, despite the fact that they have a lot of things that could be improved upon in here.”

She chuckles for a moment and nods.  
“Yeah, you’re probably right. The Jedi focus too much on the Force, so we could use all of your knowledge regarding other subjects and how we can combine the two teachings.”

Atton raises a hand to his chin.  
“You know, this is an interesting idea. I’d have to give it some thought though, since I don’t have a lot right now.”

“Take your time. We’re not in a hurry, exactly, and we have to slowly rebuild everything together, so, anything that comes to mind can be useful.”

While he ponders this, Bao-Dur decides to interject with a somewhat sly look of his own.  
“So, are we allowed to offer criticism in general now? Because, if that’s the case, I believe I’d like to file a complaint or two regarding the time we choose for the training sessions in the morning.”

Meetra grins back at him and folds her arms once more.  
“Sorry, my friend, that’s not really an option.”


	10. Physical englightenment

The archive in the Jedi enclave on Telos IV is one of those areas that actually sees a lot of activity, perhaps the most outside of the living quarters, from what few inhabitants there are inside. Meetra constantly asks her companions to check different texts, items and holocrons, Visas tends to perform her own studies of the historical material and then there are also two people that act as caretakers.  
The foremost one of these, Brianna, has been doing a lot of inventory management lately, in order to properly assess what items are stored here and what use they have to the Order overall. It is true that she and her sisters were involved in aiding Atris when she gathered these items, but they never really took a close look. Why would they? They trusted their leader, as they were taught to do.

During these last few months, Brianna has gotten more comfortable in her usage of the Force, even if she still has quite a bit to learn. However, the techniques that she was taught as a handmaiden, which involved resistance to mind tricks, is rather useful when she surveys certain Sith holocrons, like she’s doing today. She always tries to be careful and wary, as to not stumble into any possible mental traps. It appears that the Sith prepared many such deceptions, as they were likely as worried that the Jedi would gain access to them and vice versa. However, despite her vigilance, today’s efforts do not go well.

Brianna is sitting in her grey robes, legs crossed and hands on her knees, while the holocron floats in front of her. Its different metallic components are spread out in a specific pattern, which only opens when utilized by a Force user. Her face is outwardly unfazed and rather serene, as it often is during these circumstances, but there’s a battle being fought from within. The corruptive influence of whatever is inside of the holocron is starting to seep into her mind and the untarnished exterior is beginning to crack. She breathes a bit faster and occasionally, there’s a twitch of her brow or she grips her leg a bit harder. She needs to finish this right now, before it’s too late, but she has difficulties with reaching the exit procedure. Her panting gets worse by the second, as she starts to panic somewhat.

Suddenly, the influence of the holocron ends, almost as if it was torn away from her. Brianna quickly opens her eyes and glances over her shoulder, where she sees the familiar figure of Meetra kneeling by her side. The human is holding a hand up as she focuses on closing the artifact and then gently places it inside one of the empty containers on the wall, as to divert its influence away from the duo.  
Brianna breathes out in relief.  
“Oh…master, thank you.”

Meetra’s brown eyes shifts towards her companion and she places a hand on Brianna’s shoulder.  
“That was unexpected. I guess we're lucky I was coming this way. Are you okay?”

Brianna strokes a hand gently over her own neck, still feeling the dwindling sensation of someone gripping her there, even though it was all just an illusion.  
“Yes, I…I’m alright now. I’m not sure what happened. My defenses usually stay intact when I try to survey these holocrons, as I never go too deeply.”

“Hmm, maybe you’ve just been going too long. When was your last break?”

The echani’s sight falters for a moment as she frowns slightly and looks away.  
“This was only the second one that I handled today. It can’t have been more than an hour.”

It is certainly unusual for Brianna to lose focus, seeing as she’s one of the ‘students’ who is the most adamant in regard to discipline and vigor.  
“Well, perhaps this particular artifact was just a little bit worse than the others.”

Brianna appears somewhat uncomfortable for a moment as she furrows her brow, still looking a bit distant.  
“…maybe.”

She decides to sit down next to Brianna, hoping that she’s not intruding.  
“Then again, concentration with the Force also depends on your emotional state. If there’s something wrong, that can have an effect on your abilities, especially when you’re trying to infiltrate items crafted by the Sith.”

Brianna slowly inclines her head.  
“You’re right, of course.”

“Is something wrong, Brianna?”

Her facial expression hardens somewhat into a deeper scowl, as she tries to come to terms with something.  
“I do not want to bother you with personal trivialities, master.”

That title is still somewhat amusing to Meetra, as Brianna is the only one who actually uses it. The only one who uses something similar, although obviously not the same, is Bao-Dur, even though that particular rank is more of a nickname that has stuck with them from a time before all of this.  
When Brianna was asked about why she wanted to refer to Meetra like that, since the human doesn't see herself as much of a teacher, the echani simply explained that it feels like the most suitable label and that she is more comfortable this way. And who is Meetra to argue with what her friends want?

She lifts her hand and places it upon one of Brianna’s in a supportive gesture.  
“There’s nothing that is personal to my friends that I would see as ‘trivial’, Brianna. You can tell me.”

The head historian tries to gather herself before emitting a brief sigh.  
“I have had certain problems with my emotions as of late.”

“Oh? You wanna talk about it?”

Once more, she hesitates regarding the truth and it almost seems like she’s about to pull back entirely, when she quickly raises her eyes to lock them with Meetra’s.  
“Can we spar for a while?”

Meetra blinks, surprised with the sudden request, although she remembers that Brianna is often more comfortable to open up during such conditions.  
“Oh uh, yeah, sure.”

“Let us meet in the second training room, in ten minutes.”

* * *

  
When they meet up inside the training facilities, they’ve both changed into something more suitable for physical exercises. They wear tank tops, tighter leggings, special cloth wraps around their hands and wrists, as well as comfortable socks, but no shoes. Meetra knows by now that no weapons will be needed when she has a sparring session with Brianna that does not involve Jedi training.  
She has also tied up her hair into a haphazard bun, so that it won’t get in her way.

She watches from the edge of her sight how Brianna stretches and prepares herself. The echani’s body is quite visibly toned and sturdy, a result from years of extensive physical training. While she never speaks of it, not even during their past travels, Meetra has always found it a rather enticing sight, but not enough to actually act upon. These types of moments are enough for them both.

Without a word and just a quick bow to show each other respect, they begin their session, with Brianna going on the offensive first.  
Through the many months, perhaps more than a year that they’ve now been in each other’s company, Meetra has been honing her skills in the echani martial arts, and has become better and better, which means she has an easier time keeping up without going for her own style. Every punch is either redirected or blocked in its passage, as she tries to follow Brianna’s movements. In a way, they’re almost engaged in a sort of dance, with the historian herself taking the lead.

After a few minutes of this, they break off, step back and breathe out. Meetra rolls her shoulders a bit, while Brianna feels how she’s able to open up.  
“I received a mail recently, from Eshan.”

Meetra folds her arms and arches a brow.  
“Oh? Who was it?”

“My sisters.”

The inquisitive gaze quickly changes to a suspicious one.  
“Right. That’s not quite what I expected.”

“Neither did I. This was the first time they had communicated with me since the duel. I thought the silence would continue, but they seem to have had other plans. They claim to have changed and understood their mistake in treating me the way they did.”

Meetra remembers all too well the way that they handled the so-called ‘Last of the Handmaidens’, a mocking title that Brianna herself cast off later, by defeating them. She thought it was unfair and especially cruel to call one’s own sister.  
She doesn’t actually know if she wants to see them again, and Brianna seemed to feel the same way, at least in the past.  
“Strange. What did they want from you?”

“They asked me to come to Eshan, as they wish to talk. I am uncertain of what topic this would involve.”

“Hmm. Did they ask you to leave the Jedi?”

Brianna shakes her head, her arms merely hanging down from her sides.  
“No, they did not. All they claimed was that they wanted to talk to me and understand me better, as they clearly did not do so before.”

Might be the truth, something that neither of them can know. Meetra wants it to be, but who can be sure? If it is a trick, it’s a rather cruel one.  
“What did you respond with?”

Brianna hesitates for a moment and then launches herself at Meetra once more, forcing the human into a defensive stance once again.  
The second session is somewhat more intense, as Brianna pushes the skills of her Jedi master, forcing her to even consider utilizing the Force. At first, she thinks it would be wrong, but this is technically a good opportunity to test the historian’s reflexes.  
After juggling the possibilities in her mind, Meetra eventually goes for it and tries a trick that she has used before. She infuses a bit of mental power into her fist, which gives her the possibility to knock back her foe with an invisibly increased strength and then counterattacks. To her surprise, and delight, Brianna manages to summon her mental defenses to her own arms, enough to block the strike. She does slide backwards a few meters from the impact, but remains standing.

While straightening her position, Meetra smiles and inclines her head.  
“Impressive. I wasn’t sure whether you’d be quick enough to spot that one. I guess you’re learning.”

Brianna doesn’t return the expression, but she does nod in appreciation.  
“Well, I have a great teacher.”  
Meetra winks to show her approval, while Brianna folds her arms, thoughts coming back to their conversation a few minutes prior.  
“To answer your question…I have not.”

“Haven’t what?”

“I have not yet responded to the mail.”

Meetra tilts her head curiously.  
“Why not?”

“I…I do not know what to say to them.”

“Well, I guess that’s reasonable after all these months. But I suppose the question is, do you want to talk to them at all?”

A question that Brianna might not have asked herself, seeing as how she lowers her gaze and somewhat turns away.  
“…I am not sure.  
They are still my sisters, and we spent a long time training together during our youth, but the duel that almost ended our relationship was…difficult to deal with.”

“Yeah, I understand. Do you think this might be some kind of trap? Would they do that to you?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about Atris? You think she’s involved? I know they respected her a lot and seeing how things have turned out…well, you never know.”

Brianna sighs and shrugs curtly.  
“That’s just it – I do not know and I cannot be certain. It is quite frustrating to consider.”

Meetra has more questions, but she knows they cannot be dealt with too quickly. Instead, she gets back into a stance, this time an offensive one, making Brianna turn back towards her and get ready for it.  
The former Exile’s attacks are not quite as forceful as Brianna’s may have been, but they’re certainly quick, as she tries to test both her own skills as well as how her disciple is able to counteract them.  
The third session ends when Meetra outsmarts her and manages to place her foot as to trip Brianna, making the echani fall to the floor. She then slides on top of Brianna while they’re on the floor, pinning her down with one hand on each side and they both breathe out rather heavily. They stay this way for a moment, as neither of them is uncomfortable with this sort of intimacy.

A bit of sweat runs down across Meetra’s face, over her left cheek and then drips off the chin to reach Brianna instead.  
“What is it you feel then?”

“Regarding what?”

“Your sisters, of course. I’m an outsider, so I can only judge things from that perspective, which is obviously flawed. You can help me understand better.”

Brianna diverts her eyes, running a hand across her own face and through her short and currently moist hair.  
“It’s not as flawed as you may believe. They have treated me in the same way for a long time. Even when we were younger, we fought often and they taunted me as well. It made me doubt myself.”

Meetra looks at Brianna with a thoughtful gaze as she raises hand to wipe the back of it along her forehead.  
“That’s why you cast away your name?”

“Yes. I believed what they said about me to be truth, and I never cared for who I could be, only what I was supposed to, in their words. It could be said that Atris later kept enabling this mindset, I guess.”  
Another frown forms across her brow.  
“If I should be honest, I do not know if I trust them, for these specific reasons. After the duel ended, they refused to speak with me and left without a word.”

Meetra can recall that day as well, knowing that they left a letter before they departed, but it was addressed to Meetra, not Brianna.  
“Mm, I remember.”

“It is not impossible to consider that they have held onto resentment through these past few months. I hardly believe it would be enough time to let go, at any rate. Atris is not without blame of course – her words and strict teachings simply exacerbated our separation even further.”  
Once more, she locks her eyes with the older Jedi, searching for answers.  
“How do I get past years of animosity between us in such a short time? How do I deal with these emotions that won’t leave me in peace?”

She wishes that she had clear and direct answers for them, but those questions are some that she has asked herself on numerous occasions.  
“I…I don’t know.”  
Meetra pushes herself off the mattress and offers a hand to help Brianna back on her feet.  
“I’m not sure anyone does. We all have issues to deal with and only you can truly find the solution to yours, if you want to.”

Brianna accepts those words, before she initiates another bit of sparring. This one deals more with their feet, as well as their capabilities to evade. As Brianna is the instigator, it is Meetra who has to do most of the latter, but avoidance is something she has become rather skilled at, whether it’s melee combat or against blasters. It’s not just the Force either, as her own instincts have sharpened throughout the many years of keeping herself battle-hardened , even during her exile.  
When this fourth session finally ends, it’s through Meetra blocking an attack from Brianna with her wrist, but instead of pulling away, the two stand there with their arms connected, looking into each other’s eyes.

“Look, Brianna, I don’t want to tell you what to do, as this is your life and your family.”

The historian pants and contemplates the words, as well as her feelings on the matter, before she nods.  
“And what if I want to hear your opinion anyway?”

“Well…it’s not that easy either. Our pasts are very different from one another. I know very little of family, as I was removed from mine when I was young. The Jedi was my family, but not in the same way as yours.”  
She’s about to say that it wasn’t very warm or that things rarely got heated, but then she recalls her many arguments with Atris. Some are actually fond memories, while others not so much.  
“Regardless of that, bonds are important. The Jedi may disagree with me, but I have experienced them with many people before - you, Visas and all the others included. They can be damaging to a certain extent, I will admit that much, but they can also be a stabilizing force that helps you deal with your emotions.  
Your family is, whether for good or bad, obviously important to you. It is one of the few bonds you have, except for us. In my opinion, you shouldn’t shrug that off, unless you are absolutely certain that you don’t need them. If they are too damaging for you, then I agree with such actions.”

Brianna listens intently, and her expression has softened somewhat as she still stands there, pushing her arm against Meetra without moving.  
“I see.”

“Do you feel that they are?”

She hesitates and shakes her head.  
“I don’t know if either a positive or a negative aspect applies to me in this matter, master.”

Meetra is about to question her further, but Brianna shows her wish for more combat and they engage in a final session, as it’s clear that the conversation is dying down.  
She can really see now what Brianna meant with her past remarks, around the time when their friendship was growing. Fighting can be a way to get to know a person, or rather, that it is the only true form in which to do so. She can feel the trepidation, the anger, the need and the sorrow in each of the strikes that Brianna hurls at her. The Force obviously plays a significant role in this occasion, but she senses that there is something more which aids their connection and Meetra tries to absorb it all, allowing Brianna to express herself as best as she can, in the way which she prefers. She has done it before, even if not so eagerly.

When they stop for the last time, they stand apart again, returning to the positions where the sparring began. As sweat and exhaustion rolls over them both, Brianna feels how her mind clears.  
“I have thought about all you have said and tried to apply it to my situation.  
I still do not know if I can trust my sisters, not after all they have made me experience. However, you may be right. I cannot discard our connection, even if it is not a strong one right now. I must at least consider speaking with them.”

Meetra offers a gentle smile and nods slowly in agreement.  
“Glad you think so. If you want me to, I’d love to come with you.”

Brianna shakes her head.  
“No, that is alright. I appreciate your offer, but it won’t be necessary. In fact, I believe I must do this alone.”

“Fair enough. Know that I’m here to support you if you need it, though.”

She nods, more than aware that Meetra is always ready to comfort her if need be.  
She contemplates a similar topic for a moment and thinks about dismissing it before she blurts it out instead.  
“Master…if I end up in good terms with my sisters, would it be possible to invite them here? If they agree to come this way, of course.”

Meetra smiles and shrugs a bit carelessly.  
“Yeah, sure, why not? I don’t see the harm and it’s not like we’re lacking any space around here.”

Brianna hardly ever smiles, and she doesn’t do it now either, but her features softens to a considerable degree and bows her head briefly.  
“Thank you, master. Not just for allowing me this, but also for understanding our ways. I appreciate that you do this for me.”

She seems to indicate the sparring and Meetra chuckles for a moment.  
“Anytime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _They never really specified what happened to the Handmaiden sisters after that duel, other than that it's possible to keep them alive. Since my Exile is not really dark side or whatever, or encourages that behavior in her friends, I figured that the kind of scenario which Brianna talks about here could've played out._
> 
> _In regard to Atris, well, that's for next week!_


	11. We used to be tender

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _When I decided to write this story, I debated with myself whether I wanted to have a more lighthearted chapter involving Atris, or one where they argue again. Eventually though, it seemed to suit their relationship more right now, to have the latter._

Standing close to the entrance of the archives, Meetra takes a few deep breaths as she tries to calm herself and collect some kind of mental resilience. She has a feeling that she’s going to need it. Usually, trips to this place can be pretty enjoyable, as she’s either here to collect something, talk to Brianna or Visas about a specific topic, or show one of the others an item or text that they should study. However, the events of today will have nothing to do with any of these occasions and Meetra is very aware of this.

Walking through the automatic doors when they open for her, she soon spots the person that requested for her to come here – Brianna. The head historian looks troubled as she scowls somewhat, but greets Meetra respectfully with a bow.  
“Master, I’m glad you could come. I assume you know what this is about.”

Meetra sighs and nods briefly.  
“Yeah, I can guess pretty accurately, I think.”

Brianna folds her arms and shakes her head.  
“I did not initially mind allowing her to stay within the vicinity of this place, but it is going too far now. She refuses to acknowledge my authority.”

“Have you tried to…negotiate?”

“Yes! As much as I can, anyhow. I tried to be understanding, to be accommodating, to give her some space and other activities, but she does not treat me with the same courtesy. She constantly refuses to listen to me!”

Meetra opens her mouth to argue, but then shuts it momentarily. She knows how difficult this must be, as she has had similar problems herself.  
“Well, we can’t expect her to get used to this in such a short time.”

“But she isn’t even trying! If she won’t even give me a chance, then I shall not reach out with my hand either.”

“Look…this isn’t easy for any of us and-“

Brianna frowns deeply, virtually glaring at Meetra.  
“How is it more difficult for any of you? I am the one who has to deal with her on a daily basis. I did not even want her to stay – you did. The only reason I have not attempted to kick her out is because you asked me not to.”

Meetra raises her hands, knowing she has to be careful not to cause an incident.  
“Alright, alright…you asked me to come because you want me to talk to her, right? I can do that.”

Brianna appears to settle down somewhat and nods curtly.  
“Good. I would prefer if you do it as soon as possible. She is among the shelves of holocrons in the back section. I will be…somewhere else.”

She wants to apologize for leaving this situation be for so long, but Brianna doesn’t give her a chance as she merely strolls away. Meetra sighs, trying to psych herself up, before she continues further in.  
She wanders between shelves of holocrons, scrolls, ancient relics and more, all having been placed and gathered here both by Jedi before them and by a certain person that she’s currently looking for. There, in the back, reconfiguring the placement of some of these items, she spots another white-haired woman, although different from the one she just left – Atris.

It’s been weeks now, or perhaps even a month or two at this point, since Meetra released her from the containment cell she had previously been held in. After their fight, Meetra wasn’t sure what to do with her. She couldn’t just let her stroll around freely, seeing how dangerous she could be, both to them and herself, but she also didn’t want to banish her. During the imprisonment, Atris refused to speak to anyone for weeks, least of all her. Too much emotional strain between them, something that has been going for years.  
When she finally offered to let her out, Atris demanded to be allowed self-exile, to leave the known galaxy and hide away somewhere, but Meetra refused. The reasons she gave Atris was that the former Jedi master needed to atone for what she had done, and would do so by working under Brianna, with the latter as the head historian. It wasn’t particularly fair to either of them, but most of the team still wanted to see Atris punished in some fashion. Death was certainly not an option in Meetra’s mind, despite the nature of the transgressions. She couldn’t bring herself to do it, not after what they had endured.

As she approaches Atris now, she knows she has to be careful. If she isn’t, things might get…volatile. It has happened before, like when she came back after her own exile.  
When she stops a few meters away and folds her arms, she’s certain that Atris has noticed her, but somehow, the former master refuses to acknowledge it.  
Meetra sighs, realizing that it’s forced unto her.  
“Atris.”

“Surik. Come to mock me again?”

The tone is icy, although not all too different from their last talk.  
“You know I haven’t.”

“Do I? You have me rearranging dusty relics, scrubbing floors and taking orders from someone beneath me. I somehow doubt there is any other reason for it than scorn.”

Meetra closes her eyes, biting her tongue before she lashes out.  
“I’m not making you do any of that. All I asked was that you help out.”

“And yet, this is all that is required of me. But I have no choice, do I?”

“Not true. I gave you some options beforehand, but you-“

“They were all the same, Meetra. They all involved these menial tasks, nothing more. You could use a droid for these, but no, you prefer to see me at work, to humiliate me rather than accept what I ask for.”

Well, it wouldn’t be entirely fair to deny that. Some part of Meetra does feel somewhat gleeful. She knows she shouldn’t, but she can be more spiteful than she will admit.  
“Then you should take that out on me. Why are you making Brianna’s job more difficult?”

Suddenly, Atris raises her voice as she responds.  
“Because she is a petulant, ignorant child!”  
Meetra frowns, clenching one of her hands for a moment.  
“She knows nothing of the true extent of the Force nor the importance of the artifacts gathered here to the Jedi. And somehow, for some unfathomable reason, you decided to put _her_ in charge of this archive. I weep for the future of our history.”

The days in isolation certainly hasn’t improved her mood by much and Meetra realizes she is at fault for that.  
“That’s not fair, Atris. You know that Brianna is much smarter and considerate than you give her credit for. If you don’t, then you clearly didn’t try to find out, because it’s certainly present.”

Atris shakes her head as she uses the Force to place one of the holocrons up on a shelf, too far for her to reach by physical means.  
“If you had only allowed me to leave the enclave, then you would not be having this problem. Your precious students could go on without me standing in their way. But no, you demanded that I stay. This means that you will have to deal with those consequences of your choices.”

Meetra lifts her hand to rub her forehead in irritation.  
“I couldn’t do that, Atris, because you are needed here.”

After a moment of silence, Atris suddenly turns around and the small sneer she gives Meetra says more than what her subsequent words will.  
“You are still bitter, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You still won’t forgive me for the fact that I did not go with you.”

The war, of course. Is there ever anything else they discuss at this point?  
“Oh please, stop that.”

“You think I’m blind? You think I cannot see right through you? I’ve known you for far too long to not be able to accurately pinpoint your feelings.”

Meetra doesn’t know what to respond with at first. The day she is speaking of, it’s one that the former exile would rather forget. Too much pain lingers from such thoughts. Not remorse or guilt…but betrayal and loss.  
“Can you blame me?”

Atris glances down, her eyes distant, as she runs a finger over her lips.  
“I remember the day when you entered the Council chamber, after everything was done. It’s difficult to forget the kind of disdain you hurled at me.”

Meetra breathes out, trying to steady herself as she almost feels like growling.  
“My frustration was aimed at the Order, Atris, not you specifically.”

“So the intense glare I received had nothing to do with it?”

“Perhaps that’s your problem then, that you see more than what’s really provided.”

Atris snorts as she turns her gaze up once more.  
“You may wish to deny any personal angle, but it was always there. I knew you never forgot it, nor forgave me.”

At this point, they’ve had this conversation a few times now since Meetra’s return. It seems it won’t ever end.  
“And what, I’m the only one? Sure, blame me if you wish, but I know you hated me just as much for leaving.”

She manages to hit some kind of sore spot, as Atris scowls and looks away, trying to not let it get any of her territory.  
“When I saw you that day in the chamber, I knew you could tell that I was right. That battle weariness was so very blatant across your entire features.”

Meetra scoffs and waves her hand dismissively.  
“What, because I was exhausted? You don’t even know the extent of what I saw, what I experienced. It had nothing to do with wanting to avoid what was coming.  
I knew what I got myself into and I knew I was right in helping the Republic. I won’t ever claim otherwise.”

Atris steps away, moving over to some datadisks that she tries to arrange properly. It appears she intends to continue her work, despite the conversation.  
“And how much of the Republic did you really save, hmm? Had you stopped Revan, the ensuing Civil war would’ve never happened.”

Meetra groans in irritation.  
“How was I supposed to know what would happen?! I can’t take the blame for what she did!”

“You fought with her, you stood by her at all times. You were and always will be one of those closest to her.”

“If that’s the case, then shouldn’t you get some of the blame for not stopping me?!”  
Atris hesitates at her words, not being able to throw anything back immediately. Meetra pushes on.  
“You speak of bitterness as if you’re immune or something, but two people can play that fucking game, Atris!”

“You were the one who cared, not me.”

She wasn’t trying to explode, not really, but somehow, Atris just has the ability to tug at those kinds of emotions. It has been their reality for years.  
“Ugh, don’t give me that shit! If you didn't, you wouldn’t have pleaded.”

“I did not plead. I asked you, firmly.”

The kind of laughter Meetra emits now however, can certainly be classified as bitter.  
“Okay, sure, if you want to be in denial about it, go ahead. But you know I’m right and you know we couldn’t avoid it.”

“We could have, if you had only listened to me.”

Meetra shakes her head, surprising herself that she still cares after all these years.  
In the past, even before the war was imminent, there always was…something between them. They were close, more than just two fellow Jedi or acquaintances. There had been emotions, wishes and desires that they both wanted to explore, but couldn’t. Well, one of them wanted to, while the other was constrained by her beliefs.  
Meetra didn't wish to force the issue back then, as there was no point in doing so if Atris was too reluctant. Instead, they skirted around it, expressing themselves through texts, actions, even the Force, getting as close as they possibly could without fully accepting it. Sometimes, she wonders if that was the reason why she abandoned everything to follow Revan. At least there, she wouldn’t have to think about what they could not have.

Thinking about this makes unwanted emotions return to the surface and it distracts her.  
“You know what the worst thing is? Even while I was gone, when there were many lightyears between us, I still couldn’t stop thinking about it. Had you just accepted it and asked me to stay, I would’ve done so.”

“And forget who I am? You know as much as I that it could not be done.”

Meetra exhales sharply, turning her back to Atris.  
“Yeah, because that’s who you always wanted to be – the woman who rejects herself.”

Atris clenches her hand harder around the closest disks, shutting her eyes as she tries to calm down.  
“If there ever was anything, it has long since been discarded and you do neither of us any favors by bringing it up. Go back to your miraluka instead and let her arms comfort you, if that is what you crave.”

There’s not exactly any precise evidence of jealousy there, but Meetra can’t deny her own suspicions.  
“Don’t speak about Visas like that.”

“I did not say anything about her at all, just you. Don’t make this into something it isn’t.”

She feels the tension in her jaw and her teeth grinding, but she won’t allow too much anger.  
“Okay, fine, let’s get back to the topic I came here for then – your wish to abandon the Jedi.”

With a frown both out of confusion and annoyance, Atris glares at her.  
“Excuse me? I never said I would abandon anything.”

“And yet, that’s exactly what you asked to do.”

“No, I did not. I asked to be allowed to leave, so that I would not continue to damage our Order. I acknowledged the fact that I was corrupted by my own investigations and the only way to excise that was to let me leave.”

“Yeah, exactly – _leaving_ the Order. You try to talk about it as if it’s some natural conclusion that we all make, that by letting you go away somewhere, it’s not the same thing as abandoning us to handle everything on our own.”

She is trying to rile Atris up, and by the expression she’s given, it does seem to work.  
“I’m not sure if you have become aware of it, Meetra, but you are not this all-knowing entity with all the answers! You may believe that you are, but it is certainly not the case!”

“I know and-“

“Do you? Do you truly understand what I’m telling you? Because every time I try to expose you to this fact, for as long as I’ve known you, all you ever do is push it away and reject any kind of answer that is provided to you.”

“I’m not trying-“

Atris doesn’t seem to be done and she comes closer.  
“If you would have only listened to me through the years, there are so many obstacles in your path that would never even have become an issue! But you are too stubborn, too determined to walk your own way, thinking in your own overconfident manner that there is no chance whatsoever that anyone can truly help you!”

 _“I KNOW!”_  
The words come out not just loudly, but as a shout, stopping Atris in her tracks, and lets them echo across the halls.  
“I know I’m not, Atris and I’m not trying to say that I am! In fact, I’m not trying to claim any sort of superior knowledge to you at all!  
You know why I asked you to stay, why I wouldn’t allow you to simply leave us?”

While Atris does want to shoot back with as many foul comments as she can muster, she remains satisfied by simply glaring for now.  
“No.”

“Because we are the only two left, Atris. We are the only two Jedi left in the Order. And even if there are others, we’re still the only ones who actually care enough to be around. Everyone else has either died or abandoned us.  
If you leave me-… _us,_ then I stand alone here. And while you claim that I’m so self-assured in my own damn brilliance, I know for a fact that I’m not omniscient. You may not believe this, but I doubt my own ability to keep things intact with only me here. Hell, even now, I have a hard time to decide how to keep everyone together and trust that we can rebuild the Jedi at all.”

Atris former furor appears to have abated and while she still looks discontent, she isn’t ready to fight back as hard.  
“Meetra…”

“I _need_ you, okay? This can’t be done without you, and I’m not afraid to admit it.”  
Atris looks down while she hears the emotional touch in Meetra’s voice.  
“I’ve never been good at teaching people at all, even back then. That’s why I refused to help out with padawans. I mean, I was hardly out of it myself, but I wasn’t about to guide someone when I was too clueless of reality.  
But you…you’ve always had the potential, and at the very least, you’re able to stabilize things. I mean, just look at this place. You decided to take action and make sure things were preserved. I couldn’t do any of that and I’m still unsure if I can.”

This was what she had wanted to explain earlier, to make her understand why it would be so difficult without Atris, but she couldn’t admit to such a weakness at the time. A certain amount of pride was unquestionably at fault.  
Atris herself glances around searchingly as she stumbles among her own thoughts for a reply.  
“I wonder if that is even possible at this point. Brianna carries as much scorn in her as I may do.”

“Maybe, but you know what? She is ready to at least make the attempt at working together. If you can just step back for a moment and give her the benefit of the doubt, by accepting the authority she has been given, then I’m sure she will gladly listen to some of your insight.”

Atris stands there, stroking the hem of one of her sleeves, before she turns back around and tries to create order among the disks for a minute or two. Meetra wants to interrupt her, but thinks it’s good to give her some time to contemplate the response.  
When she’s done, it appears she is ready to answer. Her eyes still do not meet Meetra’s, however.  
“I suppose…there may be some kind of wisdom in your statement. I’m reluctant to admit it, but I realize that I am not infallible either. Perhaps it will work, perhaps it won’t, but I will at least make the attempt at listening to her. That is as far as I’m willing to go, however.”

Breathing out in relief, Meetra nods slowly. She can scarcely believe she’s hearing it, but this is progress.  
“Thank you.”  
They stand there in rather awkward silence for a few seconds, before Meetra clears her throat.  
“Well, I…I guess I’ll go tell her.”

“Yes.”

“Good luck.”

She then turns around and prepares to leave, but just before she gets too far away, Atris calls out again.  
“By the way, you should keep it down.”

Meetra arches a confused brow and glances over her shoulder.  
“Pardon?”

“Your hair. It looks better when it is kept loose.”

She blinks in surprise, uncertain if she actually heard what was just said or if she imagined it. A small smile creeps up on her lips.  
“You sure? I thought you called it a ‘tangled mess’ or something like that.”

“Perhaps, but sometimes, messes can be rather…invigorating.”

As her smile widens, Meetra shakes her head and continues to walk away. As she leaves, she moves her hand to the hairband and pulls it out, allowing the black strands to hang unconstrained. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _You didn't think I would go through this story without mentioning the failed relationship between these two, did you?_   
>  _I read this amazing one-shot of that nature last month, but I can't really write them as good as that person. I tried, though._


	12. Those with memory

“Perhaps this is not the best idea, after all.”

Meetra smirks somewhat at her girlfriend’s complaints, but she continues her ministrations regardless, as she keeps her hands around the back of Visas’ head.  
“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

“Are you sure? I have seen your hair.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Are you insulting my hairstyle?”

Visas sighs briefly and she wants to shake her head, but with Meetra’s hands around it, she is forced to sit still.  
“No, I am just saying that…complicated ones may not be within your expertise.”

Meetra arches a brow, not sure if she should feel confused or amused.  
“Complicated? Visas, it’s a braid. I’ve tied braids before.”

“Have you? I have never seen you do this.”

“I have in the past! I mean, it may have been a few years, but…I remember how to do one. Mostly.”

Visas raises a hand to scratch the top of her nose slightly. It’s not just due to the itch, but because she feels almost naked in the way she’s currently seated. She is not usually all too comfortable being without her veil, unless she’s in bed, and even then it is because she knows that darkness surrounds them. Right now, it’s still in the middle of the day, so all the lights are lit and yet she was still convinced by Meetra, somehow, that this would be a good idea.  
She sort of regrets suggesting to the human that she wanted to try another style now that her hair has grown out further, especially as she always uses things to cover it up anyway.

“It is not particularly encouraging when you sound so hesitant.”

Meetra emits a short laugh, trying her best to maintain her concentration on her task.  
“What’s the worst that can happen anyway? It’s not like I’m going to tie your hair together in such a fashion that you’ll never be able to remove the knot.”

“…the fact that you’re suggesting this at all is making me nervous.”

Despite her placid demeanor, Meetra knows that Visas is teasing and therefore, she leans forward to playfully nibble at the miraluka’s neck. She’d try tickling, but that never works.  
“Have faith in me, dammit! I’ve defeated tons of Sith and mandalorians – I doubt your hair is going to be the one to finally best me.”

While Meetra doesn’t see it, a small smile forms across Visas’ lips, as she tries to avoid the teeth.  
“I do have faith in you, as a Jedi. You are not a stylist.”

“I could be! You dunno what my dream was as a kid.”

“Somehow, I sincerely doubt that any future plans of yours ever included something like this.”

Another brief, but gentle chuckle.  
“Well…for the most part, I guess that’s true. Still, this can be pretty relaxing. And you know that I always enjoy spending time with you.”

She lowers one of her hands, trying to find one of Visas’, who eagerly offer it as they pause their task for the time being to enjoy a short bit of intimacy.  
“It is at least pleasant, yes, in spite of what the results may be.”

“Tsk, you just had to get one more bit of criticism in, huh?”

Before Visas manages to respond, the door to the room slides open and while they do not let go of each other’s hands, the miraluka stops leaning against Meetra.  
By the opening, they see the familiar form of Mira. She surveys the two momentarily, a wry smile playing across her features before she says anything.  
“Hope I’m not interrupting you or anything.”

Meetra hears Visas exhaling quietly from her nose, which makes her smile.  
“No no, we’re just messing around, that’s all. Something on your mind?”

“Not really. Just came to tell you that a ship is arriving, and they probably want to speak to you, boss.”

“Hmm. A ship? I don’t remember us expecting any guests or officials.”

Mira tilts her head to the side, a curious look in her eyes.  
“It’s a mandalorian ship.”

And with that, they both realize what’s going on and rise from their positions.  
“Ah, I see. Thanks, Mira, we’ll take it from here.”

“Thought so. Try not to let him cause all too much trouble, alright?”

“Tsk. We’ll see.”  
While Mira leaves them again, Meetra turns to Visas, seeing how the miraluka is already grabbing her veil once more.  
“I guess we’ll need to finish this later on, unless you want me to handle the meeting alone.”

Visas is rather swift when it comes to putting on her headwear and cover herself up, as she’s probably very used to it.  
“No, I shall come with you. I have a feeling you will need my support.”

“Heh, yeah, I think you're right. I sincerely hope he’s not here to argue…”

“If there’s anything we have learned from his companionship, it is that he enjoys proving how correct he believes he is.”

Meetra smiles, but has nothing to say against that claim. He can get rather forceful when it comes to debate.  
After the two have put on their robes again as well, they relocate to the hangar and find themselves entering just as a shuttle arrives inside of it.  
The vessel lands with the opening hatch aimed in the direction of the entrance and when it unfolds, three individuals step outside. All of them are in armor, but it is only the grey one in the middle that is familiar to them.  
Canderous Ordo was a name that Meetra never actually remembered from the war itself. She may have heard it, but they were the enemy. She wouldn’t try to recall all of the foes she fought, except for the name of their leader.

Meetra can still remember the shock and doubt when he told her how he travelled with Revan during the Civil War. It made no sense that her old friend would actually join up with a mandalorian, but it became somewhat less implausible when she heard that Revan actually lost her memory.  
It was also through Canderous that Meetra was given an image of Revan – or rather Raekah – as she appears now. She had apparently gone through with her transitioning process. The knowledge of this was not a surprise at all, as it had always been evident to her, but seeing Revan that way was quite refreshing and also saddening. Sad, because Meetra felt she should’ve been there during this journey at her friend’s side. And what was Meetra doing instead? Getting lost through her path in life, by performing mercenary work and menial tasks.

She’s brought out of her daydreaming as the mandalorians close in on their position, stepping down from the hatch and stopping right in front of them. As he hasn’t said anything, she clears her throat and decides to go first.  
“Mandalore. How nice of you to…grace us with your presence without permission, I guess.”

He snorts beneath his helmet.  
“Didn’t think I needed your permission, Jedi.”

It’s not that these two are hostile, nor that they particularly dislike each other. She just has this sense that he somehow judges her for not being enough like Raekah. Or perhaps, for not being her at all.  
“Well, I guess not, but would’ve been nice if you told us you were coming.”

“Figured I’d make it a surprise instead. It gets a lot more interesting that way.”

Meetra sighs, while Visas places hands behind her back, trying to speak as politely as possible.  
“It did prevent us from preparing accommodations for you, however.”

He simply shrugs and then walks past them. As he does, the other two mandalorians remain by the shuttle.  
“Don’t think I’ll need any for this stay.”  
Meetra and Visas share a quick glance, with the human shrugging, before they follow him.  
They notice how his head is turning, likely scanning the hangar, as well as the next corridor they enter.  
“Seems like not a lot has changed since my last visit. Quite bland, like I remember it.”

She’s not sure what it is he’s getting at with this sort of criticism, but she lets it be for now.  
“Well uh, you were here like, what, a month ago? Redecoration takes time.”

“That may be true, but I expected you’d do more than, you know, nothing at all during that time.”

Visas sweeps her gaze across the area as well. She wishes she could understand the importance of colors to people with eyes such as humans, but it is very different for her kind and not much of a priority.  
“We try to focus on more practical things that need improvements, rather than design choices which are merely aesthetically pleasing.”

Meetra nods in agreement.  
“Yeah, and besides, this simple look is probably better than something brighter or flashier.”

While he’s still in his helmet, Canderous can see the pale blue and grey colors all around him, as if no one has put proper paint on these things at all.  
“You call this ‘simple’? I’d call it lackluster.”

Meetra smirks, as she’s not exactly sure if she should be amused by his words or insulted.  
“You know, when Mira told me we had an incoming guest, I figured it’d be a mandalorian, and not a fashion critic. Should probably tell her to fix the sensors.”

As Canderous stops and turns to them, he emits a short laugh as well, but they don’t hear a lot of humor in his voice.  
“Funny. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m telling you this because someone has to say something. You and your companions or students or whatever they are, don’t seem to be doing much else than hiding and withering away in this dull bunker. Not sure if I remember the war incorrectly, but I didn’t think that Jedi were supposed to be so eager to ignore their duty.”

Things are getting serious it seems and Meetra folds her arms, a scowl forming on her forehead.  
“And what kind of ‘duty’ is it that we’re not performing?”

“Don’t you remember, Surik? I’ll give you a hint – the Unknown Regions.”

She sighs and closes her eyes, feeling a familiar annoyed sensation building up. This is not the first discussion containing this topic. In fact, he has come multiple times to complain about their lack of actions in this regard.  
“Look, we aren’t ignoring it, Canderous. We’re doing our best.”

“Your best? If this is your best, it’s the most pitiful effort I’ve ever seen and it’s far from good enough. You still have no clue where she is, do you?”

Visas intervenes, being the calmer of the couple, as always.  
“This is not true. We have been conducting a few searches now and then, as well as sending out probes into different areas.”

He scoffs at her suggestion.  
“Hmph. Probes? How about doing what you’re supposed to and leave this junk behind so that you can find her already? You won't accomplish that with probes alone.”

“That’s because we don’t have time”, Meetra counters. “You know how much stuff we’ve got to do here in the enclave? This place was in quite a bit of disrepair when we attained it, as the former…custodian wasn’t particularly interested in making any upgrades.”

“And who gives a crap about this place? If you don’t find Raekah, it will all be for naught anyway!”

She rolls her eyes.  
“Oh yeah, because the galaxy is dependent on her being around for its survival? She’s not the only one capable of fighting, Ordo.”

Visas inclines her head.  
“And it is not as if you mandalorians have been much different from us.”

They don’t see it, but they’re more than certain that Canderous frowns beneath his helmet.  
“Excuse me? You think we haven’t done our own sensor surveys and searches? Because you’re wrong, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“If you are so adamant that we abandon our lives in search of this lone Jedi, then perhaps you should try doing it instead.”

“It’s not the same situation! You’re a small group of people who came together only recently because of a single goal. I have to deal with the rebuilding of the mandalorians. That’s an entire civilization, if you haven’t figured it out yet, which requires a little bit more configuration than about half a dozen individuals.  
And besides, it’s not _one_ Jedi out there, there’s two and both of them have strength enough to challenge most of your team.”

Oh yes, Meetra certainly hasn’t forgotten that either - Raekah married to Bastila Shan. She remembers that young Jedi, although only vaguely. Firm in her beliefs, confident and stubborn. In some ways, she reminded Meetra a little bit of Atris, but with more attitude, somehow. She wouldn’t have thought her friend would be compatible with someone like that.  
Visas continues during Meetra’s silence.  
“The Jedi also needs to rebuild. This organization used to be much larger, and spanned much of the galaxy. To recreate this, we must form a sturdy foundation, which requires preparations.”

“Then how come we manage to do even more work, while we still have far more to do than you, huh?  
We’ve kept up a steady line of communication with the Republic, to show them that we’re on their side and yet, they tell me that there has still been no word at all from the Jedi.”

Visas sighs, allowing them both to hear just a little bit of irritation in her voice.  
“This may be true, but we need time in order to rearrange ourselves. We operate differently than you do and most of us have never been Jedi, nor have we involved ourselves in this kind of organization. We cannot afford to embroil the Republic until we are certain that our matters are finalized.”

“Pft, and yet with all the people I have to deal with, I still know more than you do about Raekah’s situation. Kinda pitiful, don’t you think?”

Meetra decides that she needs to step in between them, at least verbally, before this turns into some kind of fight.  
“Sorry to burst your bubble, Ordo, but that isn’t quite true.”

While those words silence him for a few moments, he does quickly turn to her.  
“What are you talking about?”

She exhales, trying to gather her thoughts as best as she can, even though they’re still in quite a messy state.  
“Well, I didn’t actually intend to talk about this just yet, because we don’t have all the facts, but a few weeks back, I had a few visions…sort of.”

“Visions? You haven’t mentioned this.”

“Yeah, like I said, we don’t know all that we need to just yet, which is why I thought it was best to keep quiet. But you want results, so I’m giving them to you.”

He seems to calm down and his demeanor softens somewhat.  
“Do they involve Raekah?”

“Yup, they do. Well, you know, I’ve been…sensing her through the Force, I guess is the best way to explain it. It lets me know that she is okay, wherever she is.”

“What do you mean ‘wherever she is’? Sounds kinda vague.”

Meetra clears her throat.  
“Well, ‘visions’ may be a slight overstatement for what I’ve received, but trust me, I know she’s out there. In fact, after examining them, I’m fairly certain that she’s on her way back to our side of the galaxy.”

“…how do you know this? What proof do you have?”

She shrugs.  
“None. I mean, it’s nothing definitive, but from what my gut is telling me, it seems to indicate that Raekah intends to return.”

Canderous shakes his head, clearly unsatisfied with her response.  
“That is far too vague. You’re going to trust your gut that she’s coming back? Just like that?”

“Well, my gut infused by the Force.”

“…that makes no sense. Can your gut somehow tell us when, how, where or why she’s returning?”

“Well…I uh, I may not have the exact destination or timetable just yet, but-“

He scoffs once more, even further unimpressed.  
“You have no idea, do you?”

“BUT, my connection with her doesn’t quite work like that. Visions have never been my strong suit anyway.”

Visas is studying Meetra as she speaks, nodding in agreement with what has been said so far.  
“If it matters, then I can say that I have had more experience with Force visions and I agree with Meetra’s interpretation so far, when we examined it together. It would seem that Rev-…Raekah is indeed returning.”

The mandalorian has crossed his arms and glances in between the two, before he settles on Meetra.  
“How is it that this ‘connection’ of yours work, then? What is it that makes you so certain?”

“It’s…difficult to explain to someone who doesn’t understand the Force.”

“Try me.”

She shrugs, knowing she doesn’t really have any option, as he’s going to keep pushing.  
“Okay, well…I guess the easiest way to describe it is that, I’ve always been able to create bonds with people, through the Force. Every Force user has the opportunity to forge such bonds, but mine are…more advanced than that, and can reach many more people. For example, Kreia believed that many of the Force sensitive people in our group found themselves awakening because of their connection and vicinity to me.  
It has been years since I last had any sort of connection to Raekah or that I felt her at all, so much that I hardly even remembered it. Then, a few weeks ago like I said, it suddenly reignited, even though it was kinda weak. I could somehow picture her in my mind and sense her presence.”

He considers her words silently for a few moments.  
“But you don’t know when this is happening?”

“Not really, but I’m guessing it will be soon. Why else would I suddenly sense her again?”

He untangles his arms then and nods sharply.  
“Alright, if that’s what you believe, I suppose that settles it. I’ll be staying here until she gets back.”

Meetra blinks in surprise.  
“I’m sorry, what? Why would you want to do that?”

“She’s my friend and I might be needed when she arrives.”

“But…hang on a minute, I thought you were super busy earlier?”

“That was before you told me that Raekah was coming. Her return is important, enough for me to make a gap in my schedule.”

Meetra and Visas once more share a glance, realizing how far Canderous is willing to go for her.  
“Uh, well…are you sure this won’t be-“

“Look, don’t argue. I’ve made my decision and I don’t really care for any complaints. I’m staying here.”

She has a few more objections on her mind, but then again, how much trouble could it really be?  
She raises her arms in defeat and laughs.  
“Alright, you win, I guess. I suppose we do have some space in here somewhere.”

Visas nods curtly.  
“Indeed. I believe we can set aside a room or two along the old initiate quarters that we still have not utilized for anything.”

Canderous merely shrugs without much care.  
“Sounds good enough. I don’t need anything fancy, nor will I get in your way. I’ll go tell my warriors that there’s been a change of plans.”

The miraluka watches him go and shakes her head.  
“He is a strange man.”

"Well, he's mandalorian."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Next time - Revan._


	13. The way of beginnings

As the hatch to the hangar bay opens up, a bit of sunlight pierces the gap of the enclave, being accompanied by cold winds of the regional climate. It is pretty rare for the Jedi to allow it to open, except for their own trips when they have to gather supplies. However, on a few rare occasions, they do receive guests for various reasons. That could be said to be the case today, but most of the inhabitants, especially Meetra, thinks this is very different from getting visitors. It is more like two people finally coming home.

A reasonably sized starship, possibly a small freighter, with blue and grey plates slowly lowers itself onto the ground of the facility and shuts off its engines when it touches ground. It takes about a minute of waiting until the hatch on the ship finally opens up and a familiar figure in a brown cloth coat, with white and black clothes underneath, emerges and looks around.  
The first thing Raekah sees when she enters the enclave is Meetra’s brightly smiling face, as the younger Jedi runs up to meet her and quickly throws her arms around Raekah’s neck to hug her tightly. It’s done so quickly and eagerly that Meetra almost succeeds with tackling her to the ground, but the other woman manages to regain her footing at the last second.

“It’s so good to see you again!”

Raekah chuckles gently and runs her hands on the back of her slightly shorter companion.  
“You too, my friend, you too.”

When she eventually decides to stop hugging her comrade so tightly, Meetra takes a step back and eyes her, with hands placed on her own hips.  
“I like the hair, by the way.”

Raekah smiles and inclines her head.  
“Thank you. Haven’t changed it in a while, but Bastila likes it, so I guess that’s what matters.”

“Heh, yeah, I heard about that. Never thought you’d marry someone like her.”

“You don’t approve?”

“Of course I do! It’s just surprising, that’s all. I never assumed you two would be so compatible.”

Raekah’s expression turns somewhat wistful for a moment.  
“I suppose I can see why. We didn’t get along very well in the past, but that’s a while ago now.”

“Yeah, so I heard. Wish I could’ve been there for the wedding.”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t miss much.”  
Raekah tilts her head to survey her friend as well.  
“Hmm, that’s curious.”

Meetra arches an eyebrow and then quickly checks herself to make sure that nothing is wrong.  
“What?”

She raises a hand and lets it rest somewhere slightly above Meetra, seemingly measuring something.  
“Have you gotten shorter while I’ve been gone?”

The former exile smirks, rolls her eyes and then playfully pushes Raekah’s shoulder.  
“Shut up, you! Maybe you’re just getting worse eyesight in your old age.”

“Hey now, I’m not that old! Not much older than you either.”

That’s when Raekah suddenly hears another familiar voice somewhat behind Meetra.  
“Somehow, I doubt you Jedi with your crazy Force gibberish would ever need eyes to see anyway.”

Her attention diverts from Meetra and faces another person who stands at the bottom of the ramp. He’s in an armor she certainly recognizes the general design of, although not this particular one. The voice is enough for her to know who’s hiding underneath.  
“Canderous? Is that you?”

He raises his hands and pushes a few buttons at the bottom of his helmet. Hissing noises erupt from it for a moment, before he lifts it off and places it under his arm. He’s gained a few years, certainly, but remains very familiar.  
“Who else would it be, huh?”

She smiles and walks up to him, running her arms around him for a hug, which he accepts, but remains careful because of how he’s dressed.  
“Damn, didn’t think I’d see you so soon. Figured you would be busy with the mandalorians.”

“And miss your homecoming? Not a chance.”

Meetra smirks and folds her arms.  
“Yeah, this old bastard has been visiting once a month just to check in on us and ensure we kept looking for you. After I told him about my visions a few weeks ago, he’s been staying here ever since.”

Canderous clears his throat.  
“Well…I thought it was necessary.”

Raekah appears mildly amused.  
“And the mandalorians aren’t suffering from the lack of your leadership?”

“Bah, they can handle themselves. A Mandalore isn’t like one of your Supreme Chancellors or Grand Masters or whatever. I’m around when it’s time for the important stuff.”

There’s probably some lie in there, but Raekah certainly doesn’t mind. She smiles still when her eyes travel down to his mouth and lifts her hand to touch the beard growing around that region, all the way up over his cheeks.  
“Hmm…this is an interesting change.”

He blinks for a moment.  
“What? Oh, right. Eh…yeah, I…I guess I just haven’t had time to remove it yet. Tend to forget it when the helmet is always on.”

“It’s alright, I like it. It suits you.”

“Y…you do? Well uh…I suppose that’s…a possible reason to keep it. I’ll think about it.”

Meetra shakes her head. She had heard from her droid companions that he seemed to melt in Raekah’s company, but she didn’t think it’d be this bad.  
Before she has a chance to comment upon this though, she hears more footsteps from within the ship. The person she puts her eyes on is certainly familiar, but quite a bit older than last time she saw her.  
“Bastila!”

“Meetra? Meetra Surik? So, it was you, after all. I didn’t think Raekah was serious when she told me about your message.”

She’s about to move up and hug the somewhat younger Jedi, but stops when a shocking sight reveals itself for her. In Bastila’s left hand, she holds one that belongs to another – a small child, who can’t be more than a year old, walks by her side.  
Instead of waiting for it to happen, Bastila is the one who offers a hug with one arm and naturally, Meetra returns it.  
“Hah, yeah, I thought Canderous was kidding when he told me about you too."

“I’m glad you’re back among the Jedi, though. You were always one of the best of us.”

“Heh, not so sure that other people agree, but thanks. And uhm, who…who is this?”

Bastila smiles down at the child, dressed in some simple brown and grey clothing, who looks around while seemingly chewing or sucking on a thumb.  
“This is our son.”

“Wait, really? Your son?”

Raekah is looking in that direction now as well, as it has obviously startled Canderous too.  
“Yeah, sorry I didn’t mention him earlier. I figured it’d be best to wait until we could see each other face-to-face.”

Meetra then shows a gentle smile instead, as she kneels down to get closer to his height. He’s got quite light skin like his parents, with short dark hair.  
“Hello there, buddy. What’s your name?”

His grey eyes stare at her curiously, but he doesn’t say anything.  
Bastila’s eyes soften as she watches her son, her thumb stroking the back of his hand.  
“He can’t say a lot of words just yet and he’s probably too shy with so many people here. His name is Vaner, though. Vaner Shan.”

Hearing this, Meetra arches a brow and then turns to gaze at Raekah skeptically.  
“Really?”

Raekah seems somewhat confused.  
“…what?”

“That’s the best you could think of?”

She seems to understand now and raises her hands to dismiss it.  
“Wait, hold on, why are you blaming me? I’m not the one who decided, nor suggested it!”

Bastila erupts into a gentle laughter.  
“Yes, unfortunately, I am the guilty party in this matter.”

Meetra smirks and stands up, crossing her arms as she does.  
“Hmm…alright then, I suppose that’s fine. Still, I feel like this is somehow Raekah’s fault anyway.”

“Hey, I was trying to suggest another name! Like Bradley or Saren. She insisted, though.”

“And how hard did you really fight her choice?”

Raekah scratches the back of her head.  
“Well, uh…”

Bastila appears amused.  
“Not very much at all. She gave in almost immediately.”

“…thanks for the vote of confidence, dear.”

“You know it’s true.”

Raekah sighs, but gains a tap on her shoulder from Canderous which distracts her.  
“Well, maybe we should proceed and not stand around here all day? I mean, there are a few more waiting behind me.”

She glances at him curiously and then tilts her head, getting surprised when she sees that a small crowd has indeed gathered.  
“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t notice.”  
The first ones she turns towards and approaches is two very familiar droids, which brings her spirits up again.  
“HK, T3 – didn’t expect to see the two of you either. It’s good that you’re both still functional.”

T3 emits a few beeping noises, while HK watches Raekah walk down the ramp.  
“Declaration: I agree with our smaller companion – we are indeed very glad to see that you have returned safely to our part of the galaxy, master.  
Addendum: I can also happily inform you that my kill count has stayed on its regular course during the years.”

Raekah shakes her head amusedly.  
“Not exactly what I asked you to do, but I assume you didn’t kill anyone who didn’t deserve it?”

“Inquiry: Is there any meatbag who could possibly be deemed unworthy of my precise executions? Except for you of course, master.”

Meetra smirks.  
“He helped me take care of quite a few Sith during our travels together.”

“Wistful statement: It was indeed a pleasant set of activities, master.  
Contemplation: It's unfortunate that I could not be involved in the final battle, however.”

Raekah appears somewhat alarmed when she looks at Meetra.  
“Wait, Sith?”

Meetra sighs briefly.  
“It’s…a long story. We’ll get to it later. For now, let’s handle the introductions.”

HK tries to get her attention one last time beforehand.  
“Statement: If you do not mind, master, T3-M4 and I would be glad to return to your service as soon as possible, should you have need of us.”

Raekah continues to watch Meetra for a short while in thought, but then turns to nod at HK.  
“I think we can have that arranged, HK. We might have something in mind."

“Declaration: Splendid! We shall prepare ourselves for the meatbag slaughter that is sure to happen shortly then.”

Bastila peers at HK somewhat skeptically.  
“Just...try not to talk about such things around our son, HK.”

“Concession: My sincerest apologies if I have offended or intimidated you or your miniature version. I shall refrain from outright speaking of wanton murder in his company.”

“…that would be nice, yes.”

Meetra coughs and then motions towards the people who basically stand lined up, although somewhat lazily, a few meters away.  
“Anyway, these are my friends and fellow Jedi. Or well…Jed-in-training, I suppose. The first three are Mira, Atton and Brianna.”

Raekah stands and watches their different gazes. Atton looks at her skeptically, while Mira appears amused. Brianna bows her head however and speaks first.  
“It is an honor to meet someone as famously skilled as yourself. If given the opportunity, I would love the chance to spar with you sometime.”

She keeps herself rather calm, but Meetra wonders how she’s actually feeling. In another life, Raekah was responsible for…certain acts that probably wasn’t approved of.  
Brianna is not the only one intrigued by this conversation, though.  
“So, you’re the famous Revan, huh?”, asks Mira.

Raekah eyes the curious woman, dressed in dark green robes, with a constant hint of a smirk on her lips.  
“I was, once, but I no longer use that title. I’m just Raekah now.”

“Heh, I’m not sure if everyone feels that way.”

Atton inclines his head in agreement.  
“Yeah. I’m glad you at least don’t appear to act like you used to.”

Raekah falters for a moment, wondering how much he actually knows. By the look in his eyes, there is something that is both contemplative and…accusatory, perhaps.  
“Well, I was a different person at that point in time. The war…opened up many sides of me that I couldn’t have anticipated. Some that I would rather forget.”

“It’s not that easy for everyone, but I see your point.”

The former warlord, if that is what she can be perceived as, lowers her gaze to the floor, hoping she wasn’t responsible for all too much regret in this man’s life.  
Mira continues to be casual about it, at least.  
“Don’t worry, not all of us assumes the worst. I’m sure you’re nice enough, seeing Meetra’s reaction to your arrival. We could have a drink some time, perhaps.”

Not quite what she expected, but she’ll accept it.  
“Oh, sure, that would be nice.”  
She gives the three another quick glance, but then her sight falls upon the man to the far right and she widens it in surprise.  
“Hold on, aren’t you…Bao-Dur? The engineer?”

The zabrak shows her a small smile and he inclines his head.  
“I guess Meetra isn’t the only one who remembers those events. Good to see you again, Supreme Commander.”

“You too. But uh, you don’t have to call me that. I’m not-“

Meetra interjects with some amusement in her voice.  
“Ah, don’t worry about that. It’s just a thing he does.”

Bao-Dur inclines his head.  
“The General is right. I prefer to see you both in that light. It’s nothing judgmental.”

Raekah is still somewhat confused as she glances in between the two, but then shrugs.  
“Okay, I…suppose I don’t mind it as much if it’s just a nickname.  
Still, it’s nice to know that the Jedi live on, despite my failures. You all seem like fairly good people and I’m honored to have met you.”

“The honor should be ours, Supreme Commander.”

Atton doesn’t seem as sure about the zabrak’s statement, and Meetra can sense uncertainty in Brianna as well, but Mira simply places her hands at her hips.  
“But it’s nice to be appreciated from time to time.”

Meetra turns her attention to Raekah again.  
“Oh yeah, Atris is also in the enclave, by the way, but she didn’t actually want to come here to see you. She may do later, I dunno.”

Raekah is mildly surprised by the news of the historian’s presence, but not so much about the latter.  
“Well, I guess that’s to be expected. She never really liked me. I doubt it’ll be a happy reunion if we bump into each other.”

Bastila walks down with their son to stand next to her and smiles.  
“Don’t worry, I’m sure I can put in a good word for you. I always got along with her.”

“Somehow, that’s not at all astonishing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Once more, Meetra interjects as she places her hand on Raekah’s back and pushes her to the left.  
“There’s one more person here, who I wanted to introduce you to last.”  
It seems that Meetra is a little bit excited at this point, and perhaps somewhat nervous too. Raekah is very curious as to why and is surprised to see that it leads her to a woman dressed in black and maroon-colored clothing, with a veil covering most of her eyes. This way of dressing reminds Raekah of miralukan attires, but she’s not sure if it’s the case with this person.  
“This is Visas Marr from Katarr, one of the former miralukan colonies.”

Raekah smiles as considers her correct assumption.  
“Ah, I figured as much.”  
She offers a hand.  
“I can sense that the Force is quite strong in you as well. Have you been a Jedi for long?”

Visas seems to hesitate at first, somehow forgetting the kind of greeting they use, but takes the hand into her own after a moment.  
“No, I have not. My people always have a strong connection to the Force, whether we are Jedi or not. My initiation occurred through Meetra.”

The other human nods and starts gesturing in between herself and Visas.  
“Yeah, I uh, I forgot to mention. We are uhm…she’s uh…we have uh…”

She keeps motioning with her hands back and forth, but stumbles upon her words, which confuses Raekah. Visas thinks it’s best to clarify for herself.  
“What Meetra is failing to explain, is that we are together. She is my bondmate, beloved or girlfriend.”

Meetra breathes out in relief, smiling as she does, glad that one of them could at least articulate it. Somehow, she felt too awkward doing it in front of someone she previously used to see as a sort of mentor. She hadn’t actually expected such a reaction from herself, though. She’s also especially glad to be called someone else’s companion, rather than vice versa.  
“Yeah, that’s right.”

Raekah looks very intrigued by this and slowly nods her head.  
“Ooh, I see. That’s interesting. My condolences, miss Marr.”

“Hey!”  
Meetra pouts and pushes Raekah’s shoulder, as the slightly older human laughs.

“I had always wondered what kind of woman that Meetra would go for, though. She has spoken of her interests before, but I rarely saw her with anyone.”

“What? That’s not true. Don’t you remember that togruta lady I hung out with in camp, in between battles?”

“Hmm…I vaguely recall something like that. I might’ve been too distracted by, you know, leading an entire war effort.”

Meetra smirks and nudges her shoulder against Raekah’s.  
“Don’t pretend like you didn’t do the same. You don’t fool me.”

“No comment. However, I assume that you and miss Marr here have a somewhat more permanent arrangement?”

Meetra watches Visas, who faces her in return.  
“I…hope so.”

Visas inclines her head.  
“As do I.”

From behind, they then hear the laughter of a child and notice how Vaner seems to be standing next to Mira now, as Bastila is talking to the other Jedi. It appears that their son is quite enjoying the company of the redhead, who makes some funny noises and tries to tickle him a little bit too. It brings another smile to Raekah’s lips.  
“It appears she gets along with kids quite well.”

“Heh, yeah, seems like it", Meetra concurs. "I didn’t know that either.”

Something suddenly tugs at Raekah’s memory and she glances around inquisitively.  
“Hmm…there’s no one else around than this group and Atris?”

“Yeah, it’s just us. What about it?”

“Well, when I got your message, I was kinda hoping that Juhani and Jolee might be here too.”

Meetra raises a hand to her cheek and scratches it.  
“Oh yeah, Canderous mentioned those names to me. Travelled with you, right?”

“That they did. I consider them some of my closest friends.”

“I see. Well, unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything from either of them. At least not during the months since I returned.”

Raekah appears somewhat saddened by this and folds her arms.  
“You said something about…a war in your mail? A lot of Jedi disappeared?”

“Yeah. Many were killed, and some went into hiding. I can’t say we have heard news regarding those two friends of yours, but we also haven’t been able to mark down every single member just yet. A lot of the so-called ‘battlefields’ have not been possible to scour for info, so we’re left with a lot of MIAs.”

Canderous stands nearby and provides some of his own information.  
“I spoke to both of them, shortly, during the early stages of the war after you left. They didn’t say much, but it seemed like they were both going into hiding or exile. Haven’t heard from them since.”

Raekah exhales briefly and shakes her head.  
“It’s quite disheartening to hear. I hoped they would be among the members most eager to recreate the Order from such devastation. Perhaps they…were not so lucky.”

The mandalorian shrugs.  
“Well, they were always quite creative, right? I’m sure they could’ve thought of something. I have a feeling they might’ve known or understood more of what Kreia and her disciples were planning.”

The puzzlement on Raekah’s face is even more evident now.  
“Wait, did you say Kreia? What…what does she have to do with this?”

Meetra sighs and places a hand on Raekah’s back once more.  
“I think it’s best that we go find some place to sit down. There’s a lot of explaining to do and I think you need to tell us what you’ve been up to as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I thought about changing the name of their son, but then I realized it was more fun to let Meetra tease Raekah about it a bit._


	14. Where the darkness lingers

When the initial meeting ends, Raekah and Bastila asks Meetra and Canderous to come with them, so that they can speak in private. For now, it appears that the duo prefers not to spread their story around all too much, even among the small group here. Having felt some trust for Mira, Bastila allows the younger Jedi to take care of her son while they’re gone. It shouldn’t be for any extended period of time anyhow.

For the next hour or two, Meetra and Canderous relay the story of what has happened in the last few years during their absence, as well as what Meetra was doing once she left the Jedi Order before this whole mess started.  
During the conversation, the married couple remain fairly silent and there is a clear sensation of sadness within both of them. Once most of the talking is done, this lingers for a little while, as they try to absorb all of the information they’ve been handed.

Eventually, Raekah sighs and slowly shakes her head.  
“I don’t…really know what to say. I didn’t want for all this to happen, but I can’t ignore my own fault in it.”

All four of them are sitting on fairly comfortable seats by a table, in a rather small meeting room. Meetra folds her arms as she leans back in her seat.  
“Look, I know how it feels, but you can’t take the blame for it. All of the people involved in this conflict could make their own decisions and that’s what they did. It’s what led to the war.”

Bastila sighs.  
“No, we have to take some responsibility. If we had acted in another way, the galaxy could’ve looked very different.”

Canderous frowns.  
“And you’re going to focus on what could’ve been and the possibilities of other scenarios? Don’t mean to be rude, but that’s stupid. You’ll only get yourself overwhelmed by the guilt.”

“Perhaps, but guilt can also help us realize certain aspects that we didn’t see previously. We have to acknowledge what we’ve done.”

Meetra inclines her head in Canderous’ direction.  
“Maybe, but I’m with Mandalore here. Don’t let yourself drown in the past. Instead, try to learn from it and let it guide your future actions. You’ll probably need it for what will come this way at some point, anyhow.”

Bastila may be able to adapt to such a situation, but she looks at Raekah, wondering if she’s able to do the same. She’s already living with the guilt of the actions she took as Revan – she doesn’t need more indirect results piling up on top of those hardships.  
Raekah turns her eyes up from the table and looks at Meetra.  
“And you’re saying you don’t blame yourself either? It didn’t seem like that when you spoke of Malachor.”

There’s some hesitation from Meetra for a moment before she responds.  
“Well…that was my fault. I was the one who oversaw the generator’s construction. I ordered its use.”

“But I gave the command to have it built in the first place, Meetra. You even spoke up against that we should employ it at all.”

The former exile shakes her head and turns her gaze to the table.  
“That does not excuse what I did. You had my cooperation and agreement that it was necessary to have such a weapon.”

There’s silence for a short while afterwards, as they let this linger for a bit. Bastila realizes how similar Meetra and Raekah are, in the manner which they deal with their burdens. A part of her wishes she had been there, so that she could understand the difficulty, instead of having an outsider’s perspective. But she quickly scolds herself for it – Raekah wouldn’t want her to think that way and she also acknowledges that it’s almost as if she gets jealous of them having a shared pain. That is both foolish and ignorant.

Instead, she chooses to focus on something else with Meetra.  
“I hadn’t thought to say anything earlier, but you certainly feel…different, from the last time we met. In terms of the Force, I mean.”

“Well, yeah, that is the ‘wound’ I mentioned. I don’t fully understand it either, but Kreia somehow did.”

Raekah tilts her head curiously.  
“It’s not easily noticeable at a first glance. You certainly have to dig a bit, to get any inclination of it. If the Council saw it in you, they must’ve meditated upon its existence.”

“They did ask me to be there to judge me, so I’m not surprised they took such precautions.”

“Can it be mended?”, Bastila wonders. She does feel a bit sorry for her friend.

“I’m not sure. It’s not a very easy subject. Several have tried to look deeper into it, but nothing good ever comes from the research. We haven’t seen if or how it would get worse anyhow, so we think it’s best not to dwell on it before we know more.”

Raekah raises her arm and places her hand on the table in between them.  
“Well, if there’s anything we can do for you, just ask.”

This brings a smile to Meetra’s lips and she nods curtly.  
“Thanks, I will.  
Anyway, we shouldn’t linger on this too much. I’d rather hear about what you two found out in the Unknown Regions.”

Bastila and Raekah both look at each other, sharing a quick glance.  
“That is why we came here, but it’s not going to be very pleasant news”, Raekah points out.

Bastila places her own hand on top of her wife’s.  
“But we realize it’s something that needs to be spoken of. You need to hear it, or we won’t know for sure how we are going to deal with this mess.”

While they spoke of their previous experiences, Canderous stayed quiet, as he felt it was none of his business, but he certainly feels the need to talk now.  
“Doesn’t matter how ugly it is – we’re ready to listen. Haven’t been working to strengthen my people and the Republic these couple of years for nothing.”

He gains a nod and a small smile from Raekah.  
“Figured as much. Did you inform them of everything?”

“Not everything, but I did speak with a few. Carth knows as much as I felt was necessary and the Jedi here are obviously completely up-to-date. Then again, I didn’t know everything either, so you’ll have to elaborate for me.”

They see how Raekah tries to psych herself up for what’s about to come. Whatever she has on her mind, it’s obviously quite heavy. Bastila squeezes her hand a bit tighter, showing she’s there for support.  
“Right, I suppose we should get into it now, yeah.  
Well, as you both know, Bastila and I headed off into the Unknown Regions, a few years ago now. We went looking for the truth regarding the visions I had of…well, some rather disturbing events. I was certain that the wars we had endured and the actions I had taken were not just guided, but controlled by someone.  
After a while, our search took us towards a specific world, which we later came to know as ‘Nathema’.”

Canderous arches a questioning eyebrow.  
“Nathema? Never heard of it.”

Meetra appears confused as well.  
“Yeah, me neither.”

Raekah sighs.  
“Well, I’m not surprised. It’s a place that has been sort of hidden away, I suppose. Or I guess stripped of its existence may be a better term for it.”

“Uh, what’s that supposed to mean?”

She raises her free hand and scratches her forehead.  
“It’s…difficult to describe, but I can give it a try.  
You know the way you explained Malachor to us? That ominous feeling you got on its surface? Nathema was…similar in terms of an injury that connects to the Force, but dissimilar in how this wound was presented.  
Instead of being devastated by destruction and spreading such horrors like a disease, Nathema looked and felt as if it had been stripped of life, even the very essence of the Force, and housed a void. Anything that went within its borders could feel it – an implosion instead of an explosion.”

They wait to take that in, trying to understand what she says, but it only opens up for more questions.  
“What do you mean when you say that life was stripped from it? How deep are we talking here?”, Canderous inquires.

Bastila frowns as she looks down at the table, eyes distant.  
“We were able to see cities on the surface, with rocks and metals everywhere, but no life.  
No vegetation, no animals, no insects – nothing. It was as if someone ripped and devoured the meat of the planet and left the bones as leftovers. Truly disturbing.”

They see how Meetra grimaces, clearly feeling unnerved by this. Perhaps she gets flashbacks from Malachor.  
“That does sound…pretty scary, yeah. Did you actually go down to the surface? Or did you send a probe?”

Raekah briefly shakes her head.  
“No, we went down there ourselves. We needed to see what it looked like and we felt as if it would be impossible to truly understand it otherwise. However, it wasn’t an easy experience.  
Our first visit to the planet was cut short, when we realized what was going on. Nathema has this weird…pull, I guess you could say. The void I described, is present everywhere within its atmosphere. As soon as we entered, some kind of pressure began infecting our minds.”

Bastila nods, trying to think back.  
“We heard whispers, saw flashes of images that neither of us could recall and felt prickling sensations on our skins. It was impossible to explain how this happened, but we needed to leave.”

“Yeah, we couldn’t even land, because we had to pull up as soon as possible.”

The explanation only further helps to unsettle the other two.  
“What could have created such a thing? Were you able to go down and investigate?”, Meetra asks.

“We were, but it took some time. On our second try, I decided to head in on my own via a shuttle, to see if I could get different results, but no, the feeling only returned.”

“As this was a dire problem we needed to solve, we decided to spend more time researching it”, Bastila explains.  
“It didn’t take long for us to understand its connection to the Force, especially after some meditation was done in orbit. We did simple tests and tried to see if we could prepare stronger mental defenses and seal our thoughts. After several failures, a few months spent discussing solutions and a variety of Force abilities, we were finally able to develop a meditative technique we believed could temporarily aid us in resisting the void. The only issue was that the technique itself was dangerous.”

Canderous strokes a hand through his beard.  
“In what way?”

Raekah looks down searchingly at the table, as she tries to find some way to explain it.  
“This technique isn’t something that Force users like us would normally utilize, and it’s very probable that the old Jedi Order would forbid such attempts, but we had to do everything we could to penetrate Nathema’s unnatural defenses.  
Essentially, the technique temporarily separates the user from the Force.”

Meetra and Canderous both widen their eyes.  
“Whoa, uh…that sounds a bit drastic.”

“But not too different from what I did after the attack on Malachor V”, Meetra adds.

Even though she might slightly agree, Raekah shakes her head.  
“It’s not quite the same. I understand why this explanation may feel familiar to you, but what you did was probably…taking it too far. What we did was only a temporary measure. If you have truly become this wound that the old Council believed…well, then you’re beyond this ability.  
However, it’s possible you might understand the principle of what we performed.”

She shrugs.  
“Maybe, but the problem is that I don’t fully remember everything from back then. It all happened so abruptly.”

Bastila nods and interjects, to continue the story.  
“At any rate, after we got it into a stage where we believed it could safely be utilized, we went down to see if it would work and examine as much as we possibly could. Thankfully, it did keep us safe for a while.”

Raekah exhales heavily as she recalls their descent.  
“But it’s not like everything went well, even if we did.  
As soon as we landed and started inspecting the wreckage of this ruined civilization, memories flooded back into my mind. It was as if the mental barrier someone had placed in me was shattered and I saw all the truths that had been hidden.  
It was at this point that I realized what we were dealing with – not just one Sith, but a Sith Empire. A _true_ Sith Empire.”

The room goes silent at her revelation. All of the ones present in here are aware of the stories from the Great Hyperspace War, centuries ago and the old Empire of the Sith which apparently crumbled. Or it should have, anyhow. However, they weren’t as ignorant as many expected.  
“So…the old fool was right, after all”, Canderous mutters.

“Who was?”

Meetra looks up to lock their eyes together.  
“Kreia. You know how she told me a bunch of things, like going after you? I didn’t mention it, as I wanted to see what you would say, but she did warn me of the true Sith, waiting out in the dark. I was never sure if she was correct, or if her visions had been worse than the truth.”

Raekah and Bastila are almost more shocked to hear of this premonition, than the other two were regarding the actual revelation.  
“I’m…not sure if I should be surprised or not. Kreia always had special abilities, from what I can remember.”

Bastila scowls in thought.  
“Wait, if she knew about this, why didn’t she do anything earlier?”

Meetra shrugs.  
“I don’t think she felt it was necessary. She believed that using me to hurt the Force was a more pressing concern.”

That may answer more than they had asked about Kreia’s motivations.  
Regardless, Raekah feels they need to know more.  
“Well, unfortunately, that’s not everything. It isn’t the Empire itself that we should fear, even though I’m sure that it’s dangerous. The important part in this entire investigation, is their Emperor.  
It was this…creature, or whatever we should call him, that had such immense strength, which he could use against me, Malak, Mandalore and possibly even Exar Kun. I knew of his mind controlling powers before, but Nathema offered more clues for us.”

“Indeed, for it seems like this Emperor may be the one responsible for sucking the life out of the planet”, Bastila explains.

Meetra starts rubbing her forehead, as she’s not sure what to think. Feels like her past is continuously coming to bite her in the ass.  
“Well, that’s not incredibly disconcerting or anything. If one man had that kind of power…well, he sounds a lot like Nihilus.”

Raekah considers the story they told of the Sith Triumvirate, and then nods cautiously.  
“From what you described for us, it is certainly…similar, but not quite the same.  
Compared to this Sith you fought, the Emperor is in control of his own mind and not driven by his hunger. Or at least not to that extent. He has an intelligence and a will strong enough that it has changed the course of the galaxy a few times already, and I believe he wishes to continue down that path. Through the last several decades, perhaps even before that, he has manipulated and created troubles, conflicts and chaos. I believe he aims for the heart of the Republic next.”

Whatever they saw, Bastila seems to be just as resolute in her belief, even if she may have been skeptical before they headed out.  
“To stop him, we must find the location of this Empire and we believe that Nathema is the only place we can do so. Unless we continue to search through the other planets, of course.”

Canderous raises an eyebrow, looking a little bit confused.  
“Wait, didn’t you say you visited this world? You didn’t find the Empire’s location back then?”

Bastila falters at his question and appears somewhat ashamed.  
“…no, we didn’t. I…I asked Rae to leave the surface with me. Despite my concentration and mental strength, I could not stay separated from the Force as long as her. Eventually, I had to leave. It left me injured for a while and I needed to recover.”

While still holding Bastila’s hand, Raekah now moves her other to let both of them envelop her wife’s, allowing their fingers to be entwined.  
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Bastila. You know I would do everything for you and this was not a contest. You worked tirelessly and pushing yourself as you did was admirable.”

She is offered a small smile from her wife, as Bastila leans closer and places her head against Raekah’s shoulder.  
“I know, but it hindered our plans for a while. It was frustrating.”

Raekah shifts the position of one arm, wrapping it around Bastila’s shoulders instead. She looks towards the other two.  
“We continued this way for a while, but uh…well, soon enough, we realized that Bastila was pregnant, and we couldn’t go on as we had before.”

Meetra snorts in amusement.  
“Should’ve figured you two couldn’t keep away from each other.”

Bastila clears her throat.  
“It was just the two of us for a few years! We…we couldn’t obsess over our work all the time.”

She chuckles instead and raises her arms defensively.  
“Hey, I’m not judging you! I would do the same, probably. Not necessarily with those results though.”

Raekah rolls her eyes, trying to continue on a serious note.  
“Anyhow, while Bastila couldn’t go down with me, I knew that I had to perfect the technique as much as possible. But between studying the data we already had and helping her out with daily life, as well as taking care of Vaner once he was born, time was slipping past us. I didn’t have much chance to test out what I had done, but I quickly understood that I couldn’t do this alone.”

“We discussed what the best course of action would be, and came to the conclusion that we needed more powerful Force users, preferably Jedi, to aid us. We had discarded that possibility before, but clearly, we had underestimated our findings”, Bastila explains.

Raekah moves her hand to gently caress Bastila’s hair.  
“Personally, I had hoped to find Jolee or Juhani, as I figured they could be our best chance. However, I didn’t expect that you’d be here, Meetra. I think you may be an even better candidate, as your power is certainly above theirs.”

Meetra crosses her arms once more, pondering all that she has been told up to this point.  
“I see. So, you want us to head back to this planet and investigate the surface together?”

“Exactly. You could take more from your new Order with you, I suppose, but I believe it’s best if we bring as few people as possible. I trust you and I know what you’re capable of. Clearly, the rest of your team do too, or else they wouldn’t have followed you to Malachor V.”

She wouldn’t dislike the idea of taking Visas or Bao-Dur with her, but figures that it may not be wise.  
“Yeah, you’re…you’re probably right. I wouldn’t want to endanger them anyway.”

Bastila sits up a bit straighter and glances between them.  
“You two don’t have to go alone. Take HK and T3 with you. They aren’t the same kind of creatures as us, and the void shouldn’t affect them at all.”

“Well, unless it can infiltrate synthetic pathways, I guess.”

Raekah inclines her head in agreement.  
“Taking the droids is a good idea. However…”  
She turns a thoughtful gaze towards Canderous.  
“I…hadn’t considered the possibility of bringing any non-Force users with us, but now I’m wondering if it may be worth it to at least try.”

The mandalorian frowns and looks at her with a sharp determination in his eyes.  
“Of course I’m fucking coming with you! You’re not leaving without me again. Had enough of that already.”

Meetra laughs at his reaction, while Bastila appears somewhat surprised. Raekah simply smiles.  
“Glad to hear that our story hasn’t scared you off.”

“Nothing like that can frighten me. You two forget that you weren’t the only ones who fought in the war. I was there too and I opposed you Jedi for years. The Force is a weird thing that I’ll never get, but it won’t deter me.”

“Well, it will certainly be interesting to see how Nathema affects you. I believe the ability we created should work for you too with some meditation, but I’m not sure if it will be necessary. We shall see, I suppose.”

As the meeting concludes, they agree that some time will have to be spent on stocking up on supplies and preparing themselves as much as possible. The unknown awaits.


	15. To promise a return

With everyone moving towards their own quarters in the enclave, Meetra does the same. However, her steps are not as confident as they tend to be, especially when she considers the circumstances. Her bedroom is a shared one, with a certain other woman among the Jedi and with what she will be forced to discuss, she hesitates when considering the reaction she’ll likely get. Her girlfriend is rather understanding and patient, but she’s definitely not one to endorse this kind of decision. If possible, Metra would prefer to postpone the conversation until…maybe after she has returned from her mission? That’s not going to happen, though. In fact, she couldn’t even make herself ignore it for that long.

When she enters, Visas is sitting on a chair by a desk on the left side of the room, holding a datapad in her hands. It’s a modified one that they received recently, with a small board attached at the bottom with a tactile letter system that changes according to the text displayed on the screen, which makes it possible for miraluka to perceive the contents too.  
Visas’ fingers drift across the reader, but she stops shortly after Meetra enters.  
“Meeting finished?”

She doesn’t even need to turn around. It’s likely that Visas sensed her before she entered.  
“Yeah, for now. We’ve got some other stuff to talk about, but…we’ll save it for later.”

“I see. Was there any good news involved in this discussion?”

Meetra takes a deep breath, doing her best to prepare herself for what’s to come.  
“Not a lot.”

“If you would like to talk about it, I am certainly ready to listen.”

“I…I guess we should, yeah. There’s quite a bit to explain, but I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it.”

Visas moves her hands along the side of her datapad, clicking a button that temporarily shuts it down and she pushes it away while turning to face Meetra. She crosses her legs when she is in the right direction.  
“Do you wish to sit down?”

“I think so.”  
Meetra moves towards her, grabbing the other chair they have in their room and drags it closer to where Visas is. The miraluka remains in her own position, patient as always. However, she constantly gets the sense that Visas likely knows something is going on; their bond is too strong for her to remain blind to it.  
“Right. There’s a lot to tell and you’ll likely have questions, but we should maybe save them until the end.”

“If you prefer.”

Putting her hands together, Meetra gives Visas a brief look as to try to determine her partner’s mental state, but she doesn’t get a lot from the facial expression. She rarely does.  
After that, she proceeds with explaining the information she has been given and she delves into a lot of details.  
For the most part, she discloses everything that Bastila and Raekah told her, which isn’t all that difficult or arduous, as it’s still fresh in her memory. Visas watches her the entire time, with no interruptions nor any signs of distress. Meetra can sense some internal ones in her, but not any that would cause alarm. In fact, she’d likely be unnerved if Visas did not get even a little bit troubled over the news that they have another powerful enemy to face.  
Meetra doesn’t relinquish all of what she was told, though – for now, it’s best to leave out the fact that she is planning to travel. If the other Jedi has questions, it’s best if she takes care of those first.

Once she’s finally done, Visas simply continues her virtually unmoving silence as she tries to process everything, until several moments later when she shakes her head and folds her arms.  
“This is certainly…disconcerting.”

Meetra emits a small snort and nods in agreement.  
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I said too.”

“Last year, I would not have believed we would be sitting here discussing anything together, as I thought my old master might be unbeatable, but somehow, by your description, this…Sith Emperor manages to sound even worse.”

“Pretty much. It’s not looking good, if those two are actually correct in their assumptions.”

Visas shifts the location of one hand and places it on top of Meetra’s thigh.  
“Despite the danger we may face, you should know that I will always stand ready to do what is required of me. If we are forced to fight this being, you will have me by your side, no matter what.”

This statement manages to bring a smile to Meetra’s lips and she takes the hand in hers and intertwines their fingers.  
“I know. You’re brave as always, love.”

She senses how Visas caresses the back of her hand with a thumb as she continues.  
“I suppose the four of you have already discussed possible plans for how to contain the situation?”

Meetra falters, as expected, turning her eyes downwards. She shouldn’t really, as Visas deserves to know and hear it from her directly, but she also doesn’t wish to disappoint someone she cares for.  
“We have, yes. I want to tell you, but…I’d prefer if you listen before giving me your own thoughts on it.”

“As you wish.”

She’s very thankful that Visas at least remains understanding.  
“Okay, so, like I said, Raekah wanted to return with some other Jedi, as she hoped it would give her more information on our enemy and perhaps determine how this whole thing occurred to begin with. We might even be able to find something down there that can help us stop him. We won’t know before we go there.”

“I agree. Regardless of the dangers, it would be wise to study this Nathema.”

“Yeah, so that’s what we’re doing. Me, Raekah, Canderous, HK and T3 are going together.”

A few more moments of silence pass by and while there had been signs of Visas smiling earlier, those have definitely disappeared now. Her hand stops moving as well and she alters the direction she’s facing somewhat.  
“No one else?”

“Not…for this first run, no.”

“I see.”

She sighs, but remains seated for now, likely trying to work out her feelings in this matter. Meetra herself is looking very unsure, more worried by the silence than anything else.  
“You’re disappointed.”

“Yes. I do not like the idea of you going away like this. Why can I not come with you?”

“I…it was just decided that the team we have now is good enough for an initial survey. We can likely contain any possible unnecessary injuries or mistakes, as we have few Force users among us.”

Visas shakes her head.  
“Do you not trust me? Is that why I can’t come with you?”

Meetra widens her eyes, surprised that she would suggest anything like that.  
“What? No, no of course not! Visas, you know that I trust you more than anyone else here. Hell, I might trust you more than myself.”

Visas turns towards her again.  
“Then why can I not join you and the others?”

It’s certainly fair that she should feel angry or abandoned by being left here, even if Meetra would want her to understand. Then again, is she being selfish by making this choice?  
“Because I don’t want to risk it. It’s too dangerous to bring the entire group with us, especially when we’re still trying to establish the new foundation of the Order.  
I don’t want to lose people just because I might make some foolish decisions and take you all to a place where you shouldn’t go.”

“Are you saying that the situation is not already risky?”

“No, but…”  
She closes her eyes and bites at her lower lip. She shouldn’t be saying this, but she can’t hold back.  
“…you know that we have the best chance of succeeding.”

Visas retracts her hand and stands up.  
“You don’t trust me.”

Meetra sighs and quickly rises with her.  
“Visas, it’s not about that! Trust has nothing to do with this.”

“So you claim, and yet the only one you seem capable of relying on for this task is someone you have not seen for several years.”

“Yeah, but it’s not because I know her better or anything along those lines. I simply know that Raekah is very capable and we need to exploit every advantage we can get.”

The irritation within Visas is palpable, at least through the Force, but her exterior remains calm as always. Although, she does raise the volume of her voice, at least a little.  
“You do not need to protect me, Meetra. I am capable of enduring difficult tasks, just as much as you are.”

Meetra’s shoulders slump as she attempts to find some way out of this. She didn’t come here to fight, but realizes it may have been inevitable. They can both be annoyingly stubborn.  
“I’m not trying to be overprotective, Visas. All I’m saying is, if we are to use as much power as we can muster, across as few people as possible, then this is the best setup. I’m not trying to be rude here, but you know that me and Raekah have better control of the Force than the rest.”

“And what about Canderous?”

“He is not Force sensitive, which is why Raekah wants to bring him. If he gets into danger being so close to the void, we’ll immediately pull out and let him remain in orbit.”

Visas has no direct response for this, even though she still seems unsatisfied with the conclusion.  
“And I am not capable enough? Do you consider me weak?”

Meetra rolls her eyes. She’s no longer sure which of the two are being the most ridiculous. Probably her for making and sticking to this choice to begin with.  
“Of course you’re not weak! We fought your old master together. I know just how strong you are. You do too.”

“And yet you’re leaving me behind.”

“Visas…I’m not going to be gone forever and I’m not leaving you behind! In fact, I’m not leaving anyone behind. I’m just taking care of this and then I’ll be back here.”

“No? If you are not, then I suggest you let me join you. You might need me.”

Meetra arches a questioning brow.  
“For what?”

“You may have a good understanding of Force sight, but mine is better. If I come with you, we can utilize this on the planet.”

“But the ability Raekah wants us to use will temporarily separate the user from the Force. How will that sight be useful to you at that point? What if you’re not even able to see at all?”

“If I go there and test it, we will know. I believe that is a sufficient reason for me to accompany you.”

Meetra sighs and raises a hand to rub her forehead. This is giving her a headache.  
“No, it’s not, Visas. In fact, it sounds like a way more dangerous solution than I ever anticipated. Now I think it’s even wiser that you remain here.”

“And what if I my mind and body reacts differently to this void? I have more experience of being next to something similar, when I travelled with Nihilus.”

“Uh, okay, and were you completely unaffected by his presence?”  
Visas opens her mouth for a moment as to confirm this, but she quickly prevents herself from doing so, knowing that it’d be a lie. Instead she exhales disappointedly.  
“Yeah, exactly.” She raises a hand to place it on Visas’ shoulder. “You know as well as I do that this is the best plan we have and we need to stick to it, at least for now. You and the rest will get the chance to be involved later, once we return.”  
She considers another angle and clears her throat.  
“Besides…someone has to be in charge while I’m gone.”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, you know, in case anything actually happens. Important emergency measures may need to be taken.”

Visas raises her arms to cross them over her chest.  
“Is this the leadership talk again? Is that why you are going, because you cannot face the idea of being made Grand Master?”

“…no! I mean, no. I still think you’d make a better choice for this position, but uh, it’s not about that at all. I just want you to be ready.”

“In case you die, you mean.”

“What? That's...that's not what I was implying!”  
She shakes her head, annoyed that she herself sort of suggested this. She does want to make contingency plans, without specifically calling them that, as to not worry Visas. However, if this was her intent, she’s clearly failing.  
“Visas, I…I’m not actually going into battle or anything like that. We’re just going to investigate – that’s it.”

Visas watches her for a short while, then turns on her heel and shows her back.  
“I am not sure that I believe you. You are too eager to head into danger; you always have been. This situation we’re dealing with is no different. All I ask is that you let me be there at your side, just like with Nihilus. I want to be given the chance to aid you if necessary.”

Her request isn’t unreasonable, and it’s almost ironic that they both feel the need to protect one another, just in different ways. To dismiss these feelings now would be foolish and rude.  
Instead, she takes a few steps forward, slipping her arms around the waist to embrace her beloved and tilts her head forward to nuzzle into the back of Visas’ neck.  
“I’m sorry. I know this isn’t easy, for either of us. I knew it wouldn’t be as soon as the meeting ended.  
If there’s anything I can do to lessen the burden, let me know. Well, except for coming with us on this run.”

It’s quiet in the room for a while longer. Either Visas is too angry to reply or she’s trying to decide how she feels.  
Eventually, Meetra feels a few fingers caressing the back of her hands, slowly enveloping them. Visas’ voice is now softer than it was moments ago.  
“There is probably nothing you can do. I am simply tired of worrying for your health.  
I…despise the thought of not being able to be there for you. I feel as if I should, no matter the situation. Your reasons for wanting to keep me away from this mission are…valid, but I wish they were not.”

Trying to continue with a cautious and gentle approach, Meetra caresses Visas’ stomach as best as she can. She would use her mouth more if she could, but there are few spots on the miraluka which are exposed.  
“I understand your reasons too and I’m not saying you shouldn’t be allowed to feel this way. But, I have to do this.”

“I know.”

“However, if there’s any precautions or safety measures that you ask me to take, I’ll do them. Anything to make it easier.”

Making Meetra loosen her hold somewhat, Visas slowly turns around while remaining in between the arms and then rests her own around Meetra’s neck. They stand close enough to feel each other’s breaths.  
“I have no particular demands, except for one.”

“Name it.”

“Promise me you’ll come back, preferably unharmed.”

Meetra offers her a smile and tilts her head forward to connect their foreheads, shutting her eyes as she does.  
“I swear, you’ll see me again, Visas. Nothing in the galaxy will be able to keep me away from you. It may try, but I’ll make sure to punch it square in the face, in that case.”

Visas manages to look mildly amused as she shakes her head, before moving in to put their lips together, sealing the deal they must made. She makes the moment last for a little while, as to let Meetra know how much she will be missed.  
Afterwards, she leans back and raises a finger to brush against Meetra’s lower lip.  
“By accepting this kiss, it means that you have agreed upon what we discussed and you’re not allowed to break any promises. If you do, I will be very angry.”

Meetra chuckles, as she recognizes this tone and recalls that even Visas can have a sense of humor from time to time.  
“I’ll see it as a sacred oath to return then, my dear lady.”

“If Raekah returns without you, I cannot be responsible for my actions.”

“Tsk, c’mon, she would never do such a thing. She’d rather let herself be left behind than me.”

“For her sake, I hope you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Seriously, Visas will hurt people if Meetra doesn't come back._


	16. Back in form

With the blue and bursting lights of hyperspace outside the window, Raekah lets her fingers fly across the navigational controls in front of her. Currently, the internal computer for the ship can handle itself, but she prefers checking the systems and scanners just in case, and make some preparations for when they eventually get out of it.  
As she remains rather focused, she doesn’t notice the footsteps behind her and how another person enters the room. He stops not too far away, resting his arm upon the back of her chair.  
“Feeling good about sitting behind the Ebon Hawk’s controls again?”

Raekah blinks in surprise and looks over her shoulder, before smiling up at Canderous. A second later, she redirects her attention back to the screens.  
“Yeah, it does. After several years without it, almost feels like I’m entering my old room or something.”

“Hah, guess that’s kinda what it’s like. This time, you don’t have Carth doing the piloting for you, though.”

She snorts in amusement, but has no immediate response. Memories swirl within her mind, returning events, scenarios and distant conversations that she hasn’t thought of for many years. It’s interesting what nostalgia can do to you.  
A few minor errors on one of the system instrument panels gets her attention, but she decides to hold them for now. As long as they’re not critical, they can wait.  
“She is getting kinda old now, though. Seen a bunch of wears and tears all over the place.”

Canderous pulls back to stand up and folds his arms.  
“Eh, true, but ageing doesn’t necessarily make anything worse. I’d say it does quite the opposite. Gives it a bit of character, you know?”

It makes Raekah snicker as she momentarily glances at him.  
“Well, I guess you’re right. Certain things do get better with age, but I’m not so sure that a ship is one of them.”

“We’ll see, won’t we? I’m sure the Hawk can prove to you just how good she still is.”

It has certainly been able to take them across many runs and doesn’t have any specific difficulty here either. Raekah begins to smile as she considers another element.  
“I guess you would know her very well by now, right? Since it seems you’ve gone on two galaxy-altering runs with her.”

Canderous chuckles somewhat absent-mindedly and slowly nods.  
“True enough. Not like I had it planned or anything. Was thinking about relaxing, directing my people while sitting back and letting the younger warriors do the heavy lifting. Unfortunately, I was called right back into duty again.”

“You say that, but I have a feeling you enjoyed yourself at the time.”

He smiles and shakes her head.  
“Bah, you think running around and blowing things up is the only fun I get?”

“No, but it’s what you long for. Gets your blood pumping.”

He can think of other things that do this just as well, but chooses not to mention them.  
However, thinking back to those days make him sigh.  
“Well, it was certainly interesting to go along for the ride, but I must admit it wasn’t quite as fun for me.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“Dunno, really. Guess I just felt a bit more like an outsider than I did the first time. Might have been because of the age gap, but I got the sense there was more. Like they had a connection that I didn’t share in.”

Raekah tilts her head back and forth once, in consideration.  
“Well, they were all Force sensitive in some fashion, while you weren’t.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s true. There were definitely less of you the first time around.”

As she begins to smile, she figures there may be more reasons than one, though.  
“It might also be that you barely had anyone you could trust, before you rode with us. That wasn’t the case with Meetra’s gang.”

Canderous arches an eyebrow and looks at her somewhat amusedly.  
“Trying to tell me that I missed my friends?”

“Everyone wants to belong in one way or another, Canderous.”

He snorts and shakes his head, but can’t stop smiling regardless.  
“Anyway, she and her Jedi whelps did a lot of good, though. I mean, they could be quite messy in the execution, but they got through a lot of tough shit.”

“I’m not surprised. Meetra has always been outstanding in combat. She has one of the most impressive tactical minds out of all the people I’ve met, even Jedi Masters.”

“Even you?”

Raekah smiles and nods briefly.  
“Yes, and I don’t mind saying that. I preferred strategy, handling things on a larger scale. She took care of the ground level plans. We complemented each other very well.”

“Hah, I guess that’s part of why you guys won the war then.  
And, well, when Jedi get into trouble, it’s usually better to ride alongside them, rather than get in their way. Or worse, become collateral.”

A thought that she has unfortunately had to deal with for quite some time.  
“I suppose I have to agree on that as well. We can certainly cause a lot of damage and get into problems we don't mean to.”  
She turns her eyes back towards him.  
“I’m thankful to you and the others, for taking care of the Sith. Had that group come after me and Bastila, well…that would’ve been problematic.”

“Oh yes, it definitely would.”  
He shakes his head.  
“I mean, if I hadn’t been there to meet all that crazy shit, I’m not sure I would’ve believed any of it. Hell, Malak almost felt normal in comparison to some of those bastards.”

While Raekah has already had time to think about the stories she was told, she hasn’t had much time to discuss them, especially certain elements which still elude her.  
“It’s…strange.”

“What?”

“Kreia. I still wonder what could’ve driven her to such darkness.”

Canderous now watches her with interest, especially as he didn’t know of her beforehand.  
“You never mentioned her. Not to me, anyway. You knew her well?”

“Yeah, in the past.”  
Raekah leans back in her seat, raising her eyes to distantly observe the lights outside the ship.  
“She was one of my teachers, in my younger years. We were…close. She cared for and understood me better than most. Encouraged me to pursue certain paths, where others tried to hold me back. I respected her.”

“You think she helped convince you to interfere in the war?”

She raises a hand and scratches her neck in thought.  
“Not directly, but her influence may have had some impact on me, I guess. Hadn’t really considered it.”

“When was the last time you spoke to her?”

Raekah closes her eyes, sighing as she tries to remember.  
“Stars…I don’t know. Many years, I think. I believe I spoke to her once before making my decision. Wanted to see what she had to say.”

“And what was it?”

She shrugs.  
“Rather cryptic as always, but…she pretty much told me that I had already decided and I only had to make the leap.”

“And you left after that?”

“Mm, a few days after, I think. I suppose that makes it seem like she made me do it, but I never felt that was the case. She just made me realize what I already knew had to be done.”

Thinking of his conversations with others on the Ebon Hawk, Canderous isn’t very surprised to hear it.  
“I spoke to Meetra about Kreia a few times, even after we defeated her.”

“Yeah?”

“From what she told me, it seems like Kreia was likely driven into this path because you were her student. Maybe she cared for you all too much, I dunno. Her part in teaching you was what exiled her, anyway.”

Raekah sits quietly for a while, contemplating her old teacher. Kreia had always seemed so wise and not just for being a Jedi Master. It was as if she understood more of how the actual universe operated and she was simply around to try her best to convey what she had found. Was this what drove her to Raekah, Meetra and others? Was she so attached to her students, that she felt the need to pursue their ideals too? Unfortunately, she’ll likely never know.  
“I’m sad to hear that. She deserved better.”

He looks a bit uncertain himself and snorts.  
“I’ll take your word for it. Dunno if I’d say the same, though. Not after what I saw her do, anyway.”

“Maybe.”  
Raekah exhales heavily once more.  
“At any rate, I need to apologize to you, Canderous.”

He arches a questioning brow.  
“Do you?”

“Yeah. It occurs to me how much I affected your life. If I hadn’t interfered in your affairs all those years ago, you might not have been forced into all this crap.”

Her words confuse him and he blinks several times, trying to understand her angle.  
“What? Banthashit. If you had left me behind to begin with, I’d have stayed on Taris and been bombarded like everyone else. How would that have given me a better life?”

“Well…okay, maybe we did save you from Taris, but I feel as if we should’ve dropped you off somewhere. You could’ve gone off on your own and not been forced into this fight between Jedi and Sith.”

Canderous raises a hand and waves dismissively.  
“That’s nonsense, Raekah, and you know it. I was always glad to come with you and proud to show that my people could do a helluva lot more than simply destroy the galaxy. Without you, I would never have had the chance to give my people new hope. That alone makes everything we did worth it, to me.”

She looks towards him and smiles. She will admit that she had kept this concern in the back of her mind for the past several years, especially since she couldn’t return his affection in the same way.  
“I’m…glad to hear it. It’s been an honor to have you by my side as well, Mandalore.”

Canderous smirks at her and takes a step forward to pat her shoulder.  
“It’ll always be ‘Canderous’ to you. And besides, we’re not done yet. We’ve got one last adventure left to finish, by the sound of things.”

“Don’t know if I’d call it an adventure, but you’ve got a point. Can’t let ourselves rest just yet.”

From further behind the chairs and the door to the bridge, they suddenly hear some other noises, like metal treading on metal.  
“Statement: Master, I hope we are not disturbing you. The small and useless one wanted to have a chance to check certain systems up here.”

They hear the beeping noises from T3-M4, who rolls at his side. Raekah has listened to him enough to know what he’s talking about.  
“T3-M4 = examining minor errors in the ship’s systems. // T3 + handling important ship malfunctions = more than simple check-up.”

“Dismissal: Yes yes, get on with it, you rolling bucket.”

Canderous shakes his head, while Raekah chuckles.  
“It’s fine, we were done here. Go on, T3.”

T3 makes a few more noises, that could be summarized as muttering. In the meantime, HK turns his shining eyes towards Raekah.  
“Statement: Personally, I came to assure you, master, that I have made the appropriate preparations for our journey. Before we left, I brought enough munitions for us to last quite a while. We should not run out of weapons any time soon.”

“Oh. Well, that’s…good, I guess.”

They hear the utility droid beeping again.  
“T3 + master Raekah + master Meetra + mandalorian + HK = ready for scouting mission. // Too many weapons = unnecessary?”

“Bewilderment: Too many weapons? Are your circuits damaged? Keep yourself out of my area of expertise, you useless utility program.  
Explanatory statement: The truth is, one can never have too much ammunition, nor rifles. Especially when one regards the type of mission we are committed to.”

Canderous arches an eyebrow.  
“Uh, I think your short friend has a point, HK. You know we’re going into an abandoned planet, right? Nathema is a wasteland.”

“Dismissal: Believe what you wish, meatbag, but defense is always a concern.”

He sighs, knowing there’s no use in arguing with HK. They can certainly handle the droid, if necessary.  
“Alright, fine. As long as you actually point them in the right direction, I don’t think it will do all too much damage. To us, anyway.”

“Confirmation: Of course, master! I always make sure that my weapons are administered in the direction of deserving meatbags.”

Not particularly reassuring to Canderous, but Raekah laughs anyway. She’s the one who seizes the conversation with him now.  
“I hear you were involved in quite an adventure as well, HK. Someone mentioned a bunch of other HK droids?”

“Admission: Hmph, indeed. A few rather inferior replicas happened to get in my way. They may have proved rather challenging, but naturally, it was nothing I couldn’t handle. They fell just as easily as meatbags do.”

Not quite the story she had heard from Meetra, but even her old friend didn’t get all the details.  
“I see. Well, I should apologize to you too. I…didn’t even remember that old facility.”  
She shakes her head.  
“Memories have slowly been returning to me, and I do recall that I wanted to create more of you in the past.”

HK’s glowing eyes shift to face her.  
“Wistful statement: I do remember finding it quite curious myself, when I infiltrated the facility. Even a bit insulting, I suppose. However, I am sure you had good reasons, master.”

She rolls her shoulders somewhat uncomfortably, knowing that it’s not the full truth.  
“Maybe, but I’m not sure those reasons were warranted.”

Canderous looks at her as well.  
“You felt differently back then, I guess?”

“I did. During my time as Darth Revan, I saw HK as expendable as anyone else in my service. Finding and developing improvements seemed like the correct path at the time.”

For whatever reason, HK doesn’t appear to be offended.  
“Agreement: I would not have expected anything less from who you used to be, master.”

“Yeah, maybe. But hey, you clearly proved me wrong by eliminating them all. You’re the superior model and no one can reject that notion anymore.”

“Verification: Definitely, master. Was there ever any doubt?”

They hear yet another noise by the entrance to the bridge then, and the second woman in the ship speaks up, somewhat amused as well.  
“Well, it was kinda surprising to us, you know. You went there alone and hardly told anyone you were going. Would’ve been nice to at least get a warning beforehand.”

Raekah smiles and turns her head to gaze at Meetra.  
“Not surprised that he did. HK has always been brave.”

The droid shrugs.  
“Nonchalant statement: I simply assumed no one else was needed against such second-rate droids, like the ones I dismantled. Besides, you and your team had more important matters to deal with.”

Both women laugh at that. It appears that they’ve both had their share of difficulties handling the assassin whenever his urges, or rather programming, went haywire.  
“Anyway, hope I’m not interrupting anything important. Came to talk about some stuff, if you don’t mind.”

Raekah simply inclines her head and gets back to focusing on the controls, while still being able to listen.  
“Not at all. If there’s something important you want to discuss, go ahead.”

Meetra crosses her arms and wanders further inside, stopping on the opposite side of Raekah from Canderous.  
“I’m curious about this meditative technique you mentioned before. You’ve explained what it does, but when will we have to actually perform it? Should we start with it right away, or would it be better to wait until later? I dunno how long it takes the activate.”

This requires too much of her attention and so she stops looking at the instruments and redirects her gaze towards Meetra.  
“I believe it would be best to wait, at least until we’re in orbit, to maximize the amount of time we have to use. When we’re actually down on Nathema, it will be impossible to reactivate it.”

“I see. How long is the activation process then?”

Raekah raises a hand to rub at her chin.  
“For us, it usually took an hour for the initiation to complete. But this requires you to have a clear mind and astute sense of self-direction. You do have to shut out a lot of exterior influences and do your best to weaken your connection to the Force, after all.”

Canderous isn’t quite sure he understands what they’re about to do, but he trusts the two Jedi.  
“So, what’s it actually like? To uh…get this done, I mean.”

She places her hands on the armrests, searching for a proper explanation.  
“It’s…sort of an inner struggle, I guess. Everyone has a connection to the Force, in one way or another, even you. To do anything to it, would be to jeopardize your very existence. And yet, that's exactly what you have to do for this technique - lock a part of your mind away. To attain this temporary separation, without damaging oneself is…a very difficult task. You must be sharp at all times, or you might seriously hurt yourself.”

Not exactly the most encouraging statement for Canderous.  
“Right. Well, I’ve come this far, so I’m not about to back down.”

Meetra takes a few steps to the side and leans against one of the nearby walls.  
“I’m wondering if this will really be necessary for me to perform, though.”

“Well, I don’t see why you wouldn’t”, Raekah comments.

“My essence is different now, remember? I know I was connected to the wound in the Force around Malachor V before, and while things have changed after its destruction, it doesn’t seem like I have truly healed yet.”

Raekah is silent for a few seconds, pondering this aspect.  
“Hmm, I guess you’re right. I hadn’t actually considered this. If you prefer, we could go on without you having to use the technique. Perhaps you are able to survive the void regardless.”

“Mm, we could let it be for now. If my mind gets messed up in orbit, we know it doesn’t work and can just turn back, so that I can get it done as well.”

“It will be…interesting to see. Let’s hope you aren’t too adversely affected.”

“Bah, don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll be fine.  
Oh yeah, and another thing.”  
She slips a hand in under the coat of her robes, and begins rummaging around for something.  
“Think you could use one of these, in case we run into danger.”

Soon enough, Meetra extracts the hilt of a weapon – a lightsaber – and tosses it over towards the other Jedi. Raekah looks surprised, but catches it in mid-air, and examines it, once it’s in her hands.  
“Crap, totally forgot about that. Haven’t wielded one of these in years…”

Meetra tilts her head amusedly and flashes a small grin.  
“Don’t worry, Shan, I’ll make sure to teach ya all you need to know about it. You’ll be swinging and severing limbs at my side soon enough.”

Raekah rolls her eyes.  
“Don’t get cute with me, ‘General’."

Meetra laughs and Canderous smiles too while shaking his head. Never thought he’d go on any mission with both of these at the same time. Somehow, he’s not sure if he’ll have fun or if it will turn out to be his most difficult time yet.


	17. Shared hesitation

With silence and calm surrounding her, Bastila moves towards a nearby chair, slowly sitting down and leaning back, sighing contently as she does. In spite of recent events, the fear of the future and the difficulties that the Republic still suffers, she’s glad to be back in known and more secure parts of space. Telos IV may not be the most hospitable world after what was done to it, but there’s safety in the Jedi enclave and people she’s able and willing to trust. It was good to be alone with Raekah for a time, even if they had to focus a lot on trying to stay alive. However, now that there’s another entity craving her attention, she really appreciates the security of more people.

Her eyes drift towards the small bed she and Raekah brought with them from their ship. A faint smile adorns her lips when she studies the little child inside; her child. Years ago, the prospect of having one was not something she could’ve imagined herself tolerating. She had heard that certain Jedi entertained the notion for reasons of making new generations of powerful Force users, but it felt like too much of a distraction, and most of all, something that would threaten her adherence to the Jedi Code. That was more important than bringing forth other generations.  
Now that her perspectives have changed so drastically, it’s almost amusing to think back on those days.

For the time being, Vaner is sleeping and doing so rather quietly. Actually, he is remarkably calm, most of the time, more so than Bastila had expected. She can see an example of this in that he always sleeps quite soundly and there have been much fewer nights that he has woken her and Raekah up, than what Bastila had come to anticipate from all the HoloNet articles and vids she had studied on the topic, when she was pregnant. It did make her worried at first, but after seeking professional advice, she came to the conclusion that not all children are the same. Well, clearly something she could’ve figured out on her own, but she feared her own knowledge was inadequate.  
Regardless, she’s thankful for him, no matter how he behaves.

As she remains in her seat while watching him, she’s soon distracted by a knock on the door. It makes her blink confusedly and her eyes drifts towards the nearby watch. It’s quite late, although not necessarily enough that the entire enclave would be asleep. She raises her voice, but not too much.  
“Please, come in.”

The door slides open and a familiar, although unexpected, individual stands outside her door. Visas is dressed in the same outfit that Bastila saw her in when they first met and one she seems to use most of the time, wherever she roams.  
“Greetings.”

“Hello there. Visas, correct?”

“Yes. I hope I am not disturbing you, nor your child.”

Bastila smiles at the concern and shakes her head.  
“Of course not. He sleeps harder than most people I’ve met, especially when he has had something to eat. You want to talk?”

Visas inclines her head slightly.  
“I do. I was wondering if it would be possible to discuss Rev-…Raekah.”

Bastila looks at her curiously, somehow having expected that someone would come and ask about these things. However, Visas was not the foremost candidate.  
“You are interested in her?”

“In a way. I wish to understand her better than I currently do.”

Nodding, Bastila gestures for Visas to enter. She steps inside, letting the door close behind her, but she doesn’t go very far.  
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t mind doing so, but you’re close to Meetra, right? Surely she has talked about her own connection to Raekah.”

“Yes, she has, but most of our discussions have focused upon their friendship during the war, as that is when they were closest.  
From what I have been led to believe, you might know her on a deeper and much more personal level.”

This makes Bastila chuckle a bit and then offer a warm smile.  
“Since we’re married, it would be rather strange if I didn’t.  
But yes, I understand what you mean. The bond we share runs deeper than for most couples and it has been like this for several years now. That said, it wasn’t always the case.”

“No?”

Bastila gestures for Visas to sit down on the chair next to her, and the miraluka follows her suggestion.  
“I’ve known of Rae since even before we became close, during our time in the Order. It did take quite a while for us to actually reach that stage, though. Things were very different in the past.”

“When did you two first meet?”

Leaning her head back against the chair, Bastila turns her eyes upwards and looks around searchingly, her mind drifting to what seems like another era.  
“In a time before the Mandalorian Wars, several years in fact. Rae is a bit older than me and at the time, I was a young student. She had already come further than me in her studies and she was…a different person than she is now.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Well, it’s not like you can’t see any traces of her old self anymore, but she used to be far more eager and blunt; some might’ve even called her passionate. She absorbed knowledge, new ideas and different angles to issues wherever she could receive them.”

Visas watches Bastila with what she can only assume is interest, but it’s somewhat difficult to tell without the eye contact.  
“What was your opinion of her?”

This makes Bastila smile, almost wistfully.  
“Heh, well…very poor. I don’t think it would be farfetched to say that I quite disliked her.”

“Why?”

“I saw only how she appeared in public and the way she expressed herself when there were many others around, which means I may not have gotten the core of the individual. This means that I believed her to be overconfident, brash, arrogant and all too eager to argue and fight. To me, she was the complete opposite of what a Jedi should aspire to be.”

Visas angles her head to the side, moving her hands into her lap.  
“Did you ever speak to her?”

“Not in private, no, but we happened to…collide a few times in public.”

“Collide?”

Bastila amusedly shakes her head.  
“The first time we actually spoke to one another was during a public discussion among several other padawans and a few Knights. Or well, I believe it would be more accurate to say that we argued.  
Of course, I was just one out of many to speak, but I did stand up against her.”

“What was the discussion about?”

Bastila chuckles and then shrugs.  
“You know, I can’t really remember. It may have been something about the nature of the Force, but the details elude me.  
I think I remember Atris being there as well, and on my side, though that may just be my mind mixing different memories.”

“So, it was not a very peaceful coexistence to begin with.”

“Hmm, not sure I’d say it was actively hostile, but we were not friendly either, no.”  
She raises her arms and crosses them, her expression turning solemn once more.  
“When she left for the war with many others, I thought that she simply confirmed all of my assumptions. She was betraying the ‘tenets’ of the Order and doing everything that the Council didn’t want us to, which I took as a sign to judge her.”

“And this is what you believed of her when you defeated her?”

Bastila smiles softly once more, looking at Visas.  
“Defeated her?”

“Was that not what happened during the Jedi Civil War? It’s what I recall the news vids saying.”

Remembering the fight on the flagship all those years ago isn’t something Bastila have done in a long while. A different time, with much more grim circumstances.  
“Our battle was never concluded, as Malak decided to blast his own master. I believe it’s easier to call it a tie.”  
An interesting notion, as her old self would still likely have noted that she had the upper hand, though the circumstances may have been somewhat unfair.  
“As to your question, then, that was how I thought of her. In fact, I continued to believe this was the case until we started travelling together. Of course, she had changed quite a bit after the whole ordeal, which…”  
She sighs and shakes her head, trying to remember that Rae doesn’t want her blaming herself.

Visas studies her, wanting to give her time to process everything, but after a few moments of silence, she thinks it may be best to interrupt.  
“What changed your perspective during your travels then?”

Bastila exhales as she digs her way out of any guilt and refocuses on the task at hand.  
“It took some time. At first, I…feared staying so close to her, even more so with our bond.”

“You were afraid of her?”

“Mm, perhaps it’d be easier to say that I feared her capability and potential. Despite following the Council’s wish for how to use it, I hated the idea of having the bond between us at first.”

“Why?”

She shakes her head, letting her eyes drift elsewhere.  
“I knew the strength of a Force bond and what it could do to both people involved in it. I was afraid that by having it with someone as powerful as Revan, it might lead me down the same path as her.”

Visas slowly nods in understanding.  
“You believed she might make you drift to the dark side?”

“Yes, and it created a sensation of unease which was difficult for me to let go.”  
Her features soften somewhat.  
“However, it was Rae herself who changed my view of her. She proved to be very different than I expected. This should’ve been obvious to me at the time; I never really knew the person behind the public figure of who she had been, both before Revan and during it.  
Throughout our time on the Ebon Hawk, she often came to speak with me and we discussed…well, all sorts of topics, but most of them surrounded the Force. I hoped I could take her away from ‘dark thoughts’, and therefore save us both the pain.  
But instead of the influence I thought our bond would have, it made me a whole lot more…vulnerable and instilled me with a feeling of self-doubt.”

“You began to doubt yourself?”

Bastila nods briefly.  
“Rae appeared to be in such control of herself, of which I had hardly ever seen, especially with the experiences she had from her past. It astounded me that she never really seemed to have a strict path, but drifted somewhere in between the dichotomy that I had taken for granted. And not only that, she made it look easy.”

She sighs and closes her eyes. Criticizing herself like this still does strain on her pride, and even though she has managed to progress away from such a mindset, it still lingers.  
“And what happened?”, she hears Visas ask.

“I…faltered. I didn’t believe I could be like her and I misinterpreted where her strength came from. This is why I travelled down the path of the dark side, despite my rather meagre attempt to resist.”

She almost sounds disappointed as she speaks of it, and while Visas’ experience was very different, she can still somehow relate.  
“But you came back to Raekah, yes?”

The memory of their final battle actually makes Bastila smile, despite the difficult parts of that event.  
“I didn’t return so much as that she stubbornly pursued what she believed to be my heart and dragged it back to the surface. Through her, I was guided back the right side.”

Visas tilts her head curiously.  
“You mean the ‘light side’?”

Bastila turns to meet the miraluka's expression and she ponders the question. Others might have explained it as such, but she sees it differently.  
“No, I wouldn’t say that’s quite true. If I had drifted back to the light, I would’ve returned to the Order, but after all that had occurred, I didn’t look upon myself as a Jedi anymore. Or, well…not the type which the Council adhered to, at least.  
I believe it would be more appropriate to say that I began following the bond we shared. Not sure what side that puts me on.”

Visas watches her for a few moments in silence, before she inclines her head.  
“I know what you mean. I believe Meetra and I have something similar.”

At the mention of this, Bastila appears amused.  
“Ah yes, Meetra and her special abilities. She explained it to us earlier.  
Can’t say I was particularly surprised. She has always had a very unusual link to the Force.”

“Have you known her for a long time as well?”

“No. Well, I have known _of_ her, just as long as I have known _of_ Rae. But known her on a personal level?”  
She shrugs.  
“We were never close and it wasn’t until she was pulled into the war that I actually started noticing her.”

“She didn’t interest you?”

Bastila is about to confirm this notion, but then stops herself before she begins and rearranges her thoughts.  
“Just like Rae, she was a bit older than me, although somewhere in the middle between the two of us. Even so, I did witness some of her class’ training and sparring sessions.  
I never thought much of her as a lone Jedi. She was decent enough, sure, but never at the top of her class. As soon as they were expected to fight alone, she never performed extremely well. She could do it, but she didn’t exactly flourish, like Rae did.”  
Her eyes become distant again, recalling a few specific scenarios.  
“However, when she was assigned to groups, she was astounding. People took to her easily, followed her and she seemed to improve immensely by being at their side. For a time, I simply believed it meant that the others had to take more of the weight for her, but through speaking with others, we soon realized that she had an affinity that worked very differently.”

Visas nods and Bastila senses a slight wave of certain emotions from the miraluka, something she might almost believe to be pride.  
“Meetra’s Force bonding ability is quite unique, which Kreia believed had been there all along. It was why she had been so efficient as a General during the Mandalorian Wars. After the Force was returned to her, it somehow became even stronger and it seemingly keeps improving.”

“You have felt it yourself?”

“Yes, and I find it quite extraordinary. I never got to experience the Mandalorian Wars by her side, but by travelling together, I feel that I can easily understand why soldiers were so effective and inspired by her leadership.”

Despite the even tone, Bastila can hear something beneath that makes her smile.  
“You really love her.”

Visas had been turning elsewhere, but quickly shifts back to Bastila now.  
“What?”

“I can feel it emanating from you, hear it in your voice. She means a lot to you.”

There’s soon a sense of reluctance, which Visas tries to hold back and pushes down some of the fluctuating emotions, but that does not last for long.  
“She certainly does.”  
She puts her hands together, fidgeting a bit with her fingers.  
“After the destruction of my homeworld, my mind and body drifted away from such concepts. I had thought that they would be locked away and never show their faces again. It seemed to be impossible. Thanks to the Sith, I had become hollow, distant and…cold.”  
She sits still for a few seconds, pondering her words and letting memories of the conversations she had on the Ebon Hawk be her guide.  
“Somehow, Meetra managed to pierce that barrier, without even trying.”

“She made you believe again.”

Visas nods.  
“It was what drew me to her. She was inspirational beyond anyone I had met and she felt…warm.”

“I can see why that would be important to you.”

While they try to float among quite pleasant thoughts, Visas soon seems to grow a bit unsure and glances towards Bastila with a bit of hesitation.  
“Do you…fear losing Raekah?”

This question immediately returns the serious nature of the discussion. Not exactly a pleasant topic, but Visas likely knew this already.  
“I do.”

“How do you resist letting that consume you? In the past, I would not have seen this as an issue, but after meeting Meetra…it changed.”

Bastila sighs and crosses her legs, running her hands over her knee.  
“It is difficult to not fear it whenever she indulges in more dangerous actions. It may even have been something that had its grip on me while we were fighting Malak.  
However, our bond helps keeping me focused.”

“It deters the fear?”

She shakes her head.  
“Not quite. It has more to do with that I know what effects the bond produces. If I choose to believe in her, it does not just strengthen me, but Rae as well. Through this act, I can help her, even if I’m not physically by her side.  
If this is what worries you, I urge you to try doing the same.”

Visas lets her gaze linger at Bastila for a while, before slowly turning away, trying to absorb the wisdom of her statement.  
“I will try.”

Bastila observes Visas, finding herself a bit amused by how Meetra had spoken of this woman. She realized during their discussion that the old Bastila likely would’ve felt that Visas might’ve been a threat to the Order, if one considers all the horrors this woman has experienced. However, right now, she’d rather see it as an advantage; Visas has the necessary belief, mentality and understanding that the Order might not have had previously.  
“I heard from Meetra that she would want for you to be the new Grand Master, whenever the new Council will be created.”

Visas exhales then, although it’s difficult to say if she’s annoyed or unsure.  
“She has mentioned it, yes. Many times.  
However, she is mistaken. Meetra would be a much better Grand Master than I. As you explained earlier – she is a natural leader.”

Bastila raises a hand to stroke her own chin in thought.  
“True, but she is not just a good leader for that reason – it also makes her very capable of seeing this trait, and potential, in others.”

Her comment surprises Visas, as she wouldn’t have believed someone so far away from those events would give such insight, but she realizes Bastila’s point.  
“Perhaps. I…will continue to consider it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _When I was doing the concept for this story, I wanted to find some way to describe both Revan's and the Exile's connection to the Force._   
>  _To me, Revan is the duality of the Force, while the Exile is the emptiness of the Force - an emptiness which seeks others._   
>  _I pretty much developed some of these conversations based on that._


	18. Hollow

When the Ebon Hawk exits hyperspace, it has arrived in what the denizens of the ship assumes to be the Nathema system. In Republic records, it has only an unknown designation and therefore cannot be properly identified.  
After the ritual for the technique has been completed, four members of the crew move towards the shuttle they brought with them, as they figure it’s best not to take the Hawk to the surface, just in case. T3 is left inside to take care of it, as they’re sure he can deal with any debris or so that it encounters.

The shuttle descends into the atmosphere of the planet and almost immediately, most of them feel an increasing sensation of unease. It had been present in orbit as well, but gets quite a bit worse the further they get down into the depths of this world. Well, three of them do – HK appears as unaffected as they anticipated.

After a few minutes of flight, the two women hears a slight groan and glances in Canderous direction. He seems to be gritting his teeth, rubbing his hand across the bridge of his nose and keeps his eyes shut. Meetra raises a hand and plants it on his shoulder.  
“Hey, you okay, Ordo?”

Canderous opens his eyes, trying to roll his head around a bit, but it seems to do nothing to alleviate the agitation.  
“Yeah, I just…  
Raekah, I thought you said that this ritual of yours would protect us from the worst effects of this shitty place?”

Raekah is currently the one sitting behind the controls to the shuttle, as they decided that she should remain as pilot for now. She did have the most experience, after all, and if anything were to happen upon arrival, she would most likely be the one best prepared.  
She inclines her head, but keeps her sight aimed forward.  
“It is. If we had not been using it, this sensation would be many times worse.”

“…fuck.”

While she does get a slight sense of what they’re talking about, Meetra mostly appears confused.  
“Hey uh, could you explain what it is you’re feeling, Canderous?”

He takes a few seconds to just lean back in his seat and try to breathe, but from his appearance, it doesn’t seem to do much for him.  
“It’s so damn…heavy, somehow. Like there’s a constant pressure that reaches across every part of my body.”

Raekah sighs.  
“It is one of the effects of the void. I am sorry that I couldn’t develop it far enough to block this as well, but at least thanks to the technique we used, you’re not getting any of the mind-altering influences. That has the potential of being much worse.”

While she sits back in her own seat, Meetra folds her arms and turns her eyes to the front window.  
“Just kinda strange that I’m not actually sensing any of the things you’re talking about.”

Canderous arches a brow and looks her way.  
“What? You’re not feeling anything at all?”

“Well, I mean, it’s definitely eerie, I’ll give ya that. The further we get towards the surface, the more it reminds me of what it was like to be on Malachor.  
However, it’s far from what I would call painful. At least…not in any physical way.”

Raekah also decides to throw Meetra a glance, wondering what might be swirling inside of her mind at this time. Perhaps bringing her here wasn’t such a brilliant plan.  
“What would you describe the eeriness coming from then?”

“I dunno. It’s like, the very air feels…hollow.”  
For a moment, Meetra’s eyes appear more distant than before, like her mind is a million lightyears away. Raekah is almost worried that she’ll get trapped somehow, but then Meetra shakes herself out of it. She furrows her brow and shakes her head.  
“It’s hard to describe.”

“Don’t worry, I think I know what you mean.”

The two women share a look, and it goes without saying that they know what the other is or has been experiencing. A slight nod in between is all that is needed.  
Another voice from further behind interrupts their thoughts.  
“Statement: If it is any concern, then I can reassure you that I feel perfectly fine so far.”

Canderous rolls his eyes.  
“Yeah well, you’re damn lucky that you don’t have an organic body.”

“Agreement: Oh yes, indeed. Meatbags are inferior in such a wide variety of manners, that it would be quite horrifying to imagine having a body like yours.”

“…not what I meant, but, sure.”

Raekah manages to display a small smile in his direction.  
“Well, it’s not really a surprise. Droids were unlikely to be affected, because the Force does not flow as freely inside of them. Houses and vehicles on the surface remain intact and any droids should have been as well.”

Meetra looks towards her.  
“Did you see any droids on your last visit?”

“No, but I suspect that the one responsible for this atrocity likely removed or transported them away, as to not leave too much evidence.”

A short while later, they arrive within the airspace of a fairly large city, or at least the husk of one. Tall spires and buildings reach up towards the sky, and smaller ones, along with roads, litter the ground further down. However, the lack of movement does nothing to improve their comfort.  
In the meantime, Canderous checks the sensors and arches a rather intrigued brow.  
“Huh. Raekah, I thought you said there would be no signs of the Force on this world.”

“For the most part, there isn’t.”

“Well, you always talk about that the Force exists in everything, or something like that, and yet I can read oxygen on the surface.”

Meetra, who sits on the chair behind them, leans forward to see the readings as well, but Raekah continues to focus on the controls.  
“Perhaps we phrased it poorly, but you’re right, there is oxygen. Not everything was stripped from this world, merely all visible life.”

Meetra shakes her head and gets back to her seat.  
“Not exactly reassuring, but hey, at least we won’t suffocate immediately when we step outta the door.”

Another minute or so later, Raekah finds them a good spot to land around the middle of the city and sets the shuttle down. Even if they have air, Canderous grabs his helmet, puts it on and together, they all move out.  
This is when they see what Raekah and Bastila were speaking of earlier – there is definitely a city here, but nothing more than a skeleton. Factories, offices, stores, vehicles, roads, lamps; all of these structures are present, but no signs of life join them. They neither see nor hear people, animals, insects or plants.

Raekah gestures with her hand and starts to walk, giving them even more of a sensation for how unsettling it all is. Meetra sees personal items, such as datapads and bags simply dropped on the ground. Some vehicles along the road have all stopped like a huge traffic jam, with some doors simply being left open. In certain places, they also notice air speeders that have crashed on top of ground-based ones and no one has done anything about it.  
A battle didn’t take place here, as there’s nothing that indicates it. Instead, it’s as if the entire region was simply abandoned.

At the same time, Canderous tilts his head backwards, looks up at the sky and feels it’s pretty much just as unpleasant. There are no clouds nor a proper shielding from exterior sources, but instead, he sees some kind of yellow-brownish sheet, like thick smoke, partially covering it up, with the stars poking through in between here and there. ‘Disconcerting’ doesn’t even begin to explain what he feels when standing here.  
“How the hell does this place stay intact?”

Meetra turns to look at him.  
“What do you mean?”

“If the Force was stripped from it on such an immense scale, and most things have been torn away, how is it possible that some elements have remained as they are?”

She shrugs in return.  
“Dunno, but we clearly still have air and gravity. Think I can feel a light breeze coming this way too.”

Raekah nods slightly, still concentrated on moving ahead and not watching the dreary landscape. Perhaps she had already done so during her last visit.  
“Like I said, it’s only visible life that has been torn away – even the remains from dead people and plants appear to have practically been absorbed.”

Meetra raises a hand to stroke her chin in thought.  
“Hmm. It’s entirely possible that the entity which created this mess in the first place, has somehow managed to keep it all stable too. Perhaps they want it to remain like this? They might’ve preferred to let it be, rather than allow explorers to only locate a debris field.”

Canderous shakes his head slightly.  
“But…how could anyone possibly gain so much power, to make such a thing happen?”

Raekah frowns.  
“That’s what worries me the most.”

Their route takes them to a building nearby, which isn’t exactly the biggest in the vicinity, but somehow it seems rather centralized. Meetra tries to read the text on its front, but doesn’t recognize the language.  
“What is this place?”

“This is the largest city that Bastila and I could scan from orbit the first time we were here, but we never had the chance to completely explore it.”

When they wander forward, both HK and Canderous keep their rifles ready in their hands, but the Jedi proceeds without such tools. Lightsabers are pretty easy to unsheathe anyway.  
“You believe we’ll find something of use in here?”

Raekah inclines her head.  
“From my estimates, I believe this is a government building of some kind. There should be records inside, possibly explaining the last events before this world went dark.”

Meetra arches a brow, seeming quite skeptical.  
“You think there’s any chance that’ll actually work? Surely, nothing here can have any power left.”

“True enough, but last time we visited, I found a bunch of discarded datapads from another town. I extracted their memory cores and ran them all through our ship’s computers.”

“They worked?”

Raekah sighs.  
“In a way. One core, while heavily corrupted, had a preserved log inside which mentioned how the planet’s leader had called for some kind of gathering.”

“The leader?”

“Yes, a Sith known as ‘Lord Vitiate’. It is my suspicion that this is the Sith Emperor which me and Malak encountered after the Mandalorian Wars.”

Canderous rests his gun over his shoulder and ponders her implications.  
“And because he gathered people up, you think that he must’ve been responsible for the planet’s destruction? Or whatever you wanna call this.”

“Seeing as how the planet seems to have been stripped of every piece of visible life afterwards, I do, but that’s not the problem. I am certain he was the one who performed this atrocity, but I still don’t know _how_ he made it happen. And then there’s of course the problem of not having the current coordinates to the Empire.  
Both of these are important events that we need to find more clues to, but locating information about either is remote at best. Because we managed to find a somewhat functioning memory core back then, I do still have hope that we’ll succeed.”

Meetra nods slightly, seeing her point of view.  
“Mm, I guess looking inside a government building is one of the best places to find such information, but how do we know that anyone managed to write anything to begin with?”

Raekah shrugs.  
“We don’t, but there’s a number of ways for how this could’ve gone down. Perhaps the eradication was a slow process. At any rate, this would be a good area to start.”

When they finally end up in front of the entrance, they try to open it, but it simply won’t budge to either their weapons, nor pushing any buttons. The lack of power definitely doesn’t instill them with confidence for how the rest of the facility probably looks.  
Both Meetra and Raekah attempts to utilize the Force, but quickly realize that neither of them are able to, even if Meetra never used the special technique like the other two.

Canderous sighs and shakes his head.  
“Dammit, I guess there’s only one way to do this then. Let me head back to the shuttle and I’ll get our explosives.”

Raekah arches surprised brow, before seizing his arm.  
“Wait! That’s uh, an interesting plan, but maybe we can proceed without having to cause so much destruction.”  
She looks towards the droid.  
“HK, your body should've been built with an increased strength and tools to get past a wide number of difficult situations, correct? Do you think you could pry the door open for us?”

“Clarification: Of course, master! I am equipped to handle a variety of delicate and complicated scenarios to perform my assigned task. A simple door should be no challenge whatsoever.”

They step aside for him and he approaches the door, holsters his weapon and then puts his hands at the center of the double doors. They hear and see how some miniature devices push out from the top of his fingers and he inserts them into the very small gap at the center of the two doors. After that, he utilizes his full strength to slowly push them apart and make a wide enough space for the others to pass by him.

At the same time, Raekah gives Canderous a very satisfied smile, while he sighs.  
“…okay, okay, you win. I admit that this was more…efficient. Not nearly as fun, though.”

“I think that’s a subjective point of view.”

All three get inside, with HK following them and the doors slam shut afterwards. It appears they’ve got some other kind of mechanism, not powered by any electrical energy, that keeps them closed at all times.  
In any case, the team gets their flashlights out and starts searching the area as best as they can. When they move past the lobby and open more doors, they face exactly what they had expected. For the most part, this includes many rows of offices, filled with empty desks, non-functional terminals, remains of personal items and other equipment that hasn’t seen use in a long time.

Unfortunately, most of the things here, just as they may have suspected, seem to be without power, which diminishes their chances of finding anything of value. As Raekah continues further inside, in hopes of at least gaining some more memory cores, Canderous and Meetra checks out the various items within.

On one desk, they actually find a physical photo and see three people on it. They’re posing for some of camera, all of them looking rather formal, but it’s their appearance that gets most of Meetra’s attention.  
“Huh. They look quite…unfamiliar to me. You see the tendrils and deep ridges on their faces? Haven’t seen any species like that before.”

She can’t see his expression, but Canderous does shake his head slightly.  
“Yeah, me neither. The red skin reminds me of a few zeltron I’ve met, but…other than that, they’re definitely different.”

Meetra tries to recall her old history classes in the enclave back on Dantooine, remembering a few details.  
“If this world was ruled by a Sith, it could’ve been part of the ancient Empire, back in the Great Hyperspace War. I know it’s said that there was a species known as Sith as well, possibly what the dark side Order named themselves after. I think the Jedi eradicated them during the war, though.”

Canderous tilts his head as he looks at it with interest and then puts it back on the desk.  
“I guess it’s possible. If there was anything left of them on this world, this Emperor that Raekah keeps talking about, probably destroyed them all.”

She doesn’t really know how she should feel about that and simply shakes her head.  
There isn’t much need for comments at all, as Raekah soon arrives with a bag that she has filled with a variety of technical equipment.  
“I think I have what we need from here, for now. If there’s anything else, we can always come back later.”

“You think we can plug them into the Ebon Hawk’s computers?”, Canderous asks.

“That’s what I'm hoping for, at least. All we need is a little bit of power and enough time to extract information. Any files from that time can be vital, so I have to check everything I can get my hands on.”

Meetra smiles and shakes her head.  
“Well, you’re the tech expert out of the three of us, so we’ll trust your judgement. Let’s get out of here.”  
As they finally exit the building, she soon looks a little bit disappointment.  
“It’s a shame we didn’t bring the Hawk down here. We could’ve powered some of those terminals, and maybe extracted the files directly from their system.”

“We can’t take that risk”, Raekah mentions.  
“We don’t know how much energy is needed to get it running. These things have been shut down for centuries and draining the Hawk’s engines for them is not a good idea.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…”

As they wander back to the shuttle and speak of this, Canderous sweeps the city around them with his gaze.  
“Well, at least this place gives me one pretty obvious question to ponder.”

“What’s that?”

“How the hell are we supposed to defeat a being that has managed to create death on this extreme scale?”

For a moment, both of the women, and even HK, stay silent when being faced with this predicament. It’s definitely not something they can produce an easy nor quick answer for.  
Eventually though, Meetra smiles and pats his shoulder.  
“Well, hey, don’t forget - we defeated Nihilus together and at the time, that seemed impossible too.”

His tension manages to at least slightly evaporate at the mention of their old enemy.  
“Heh, guess you’ve got a point.”

Raekah throws her bag over her shoulder and starts walking faster.  
“We should hurry back to the shuttle, as we don’t know how much longer my blocking technique will last and we have a few more places to visit before we return to the ship.”


	19. Voided ashes

After a few hours of scouring through various ruins on Nathema, the crew returns to the shuttle and fly up into the broken sky once more, putting it in a path back to the Ebon Hawk in orbit. While it’s generally pleasant to be on the move away from the urban wasteland they’ve had to experience, it’s even more comforting for Raekah and Canderous to know that they at least temporarily won’t have to feel the disturbing nature of the planet. However, Raekah knows that it won’t stop there, as exposure to the void itself will bring nightmares once they decide to rest; a fact which she has yet to tell Canderous.

As Raekah is piloting the shuttle again, Canderous is sitting by the sensor controls and once they’re at the edge of the atmospheric barrier, he seems to be scowling while he watches the display in front of him.  
“Uh, Raekah?”

“What?”

“I’m getting some weird sensor reading from the Hawk.”

This gets both her and Meetra’s attentions, and the latter stands up from her chair, leans against the back of Canderous’ seat and looks over his shoulder.  
“Could you elaborate?”

The mandalorian pushes a few more buttons, makes another scan and cross-checks the results from both attempts.  
“Not sure if our scanners are malfunctioning or not, but it looks like there’s another ship in the vicinity of ours.”

Raekah frowns when she hears it and turns on some of the other control options, eventually opening a screen which displays the hull sensors that can give a better view of space around them. By utilizing these, it allows them to see the Ebon Hawk’s location and she makes sure to increase the range, zooming in on their ship.  
Just like Canderous stated, they see another vessel; not just nearby, but actually docked with the Hawk.

All three of them, as well as HK-47, are all silent for several moments as they look at the ship – it’s not humongous, but definitely larger than the Ebon Hawk. The jagged edges, the black and steel-grey coloring, as well as the arched design makes it look fairly intimidating and very unusual for those who have seen Republic ships.

“What the hell is that? I don’t recognize the ship design at all”, Meetra remarks.

Canderous nods curtly in agreement.  
“Yeah, me neither.”

“I've seen it before”, they hear Raekah saying, “or at least something very similar. It has been several years since I last did, though.”

“Where?”

Raekah sighs, and slows down their approach a bit. Even if it’s still a few minutes before they’ll reach their destination, they don’t want to throw themselves in all too quickly.  
“It was during my trip to the Sith Empire’s homeworld, together with Malak, or whatever that planet was. Some of the ships in orbit looked similar to that one.”

A tension enters the area and Meetra stands with folded arms and her eyes completely focused on the screen.  
“Well, this isn’t good. How the hell could they have found us all the way out here?”

Canderous continues to check the sensor readings, hoping that he won’t get to see even more enemies marked out just yet.  
“Maybe they were waiting for us?”

Meetra shakes her head.  
“That’s not possible. Or at least highly unlikely. While the two of you were meditating, I performed some pretty extensive scans, to make sure we wouldn’t stumble into any traps. I located no other vessel in this star system.”

“Maybe you missed something? They could’ve hidden in an area just outside our scanning range”, Raekah points out. However, even while saying that, she feels a sense of doubt. The Ebon Hawk may not have the most advanced tech, nor the latest equipment, but to miss something this major in a star system otherwise practically bereft of any life, seems like a significant mishap.

“Anything is possible, I guess, but it sounds pretty implausible to me.”

“Perhaps some sort of signal was sent out when we arrived? They might have sensor buoys placed around the edges of the system. The Republic has such defenses, after all.”

Meetra arches a skeptical brow.  
“We arrived only hours ago. They must’ve had a ship very close to our destination in that case.”

Raekah shrugs.  
“Maybe they had ships waiting in neighboring systems?”

“Yeah, they could have, but I’m just saying that, if they were too far away, it would’ve taken them more than a few hours to get here this promptly. Not to mention that the actual signal sent wouldn’t have been instantaneous.”

There are tons of possible explanation for such a swift arrival, of course, and it’s certainly conceivable that these people could’ve been waiting nearby. However, the implication is something both of them consider, but neither speaks out loud – someone might’ve known they would arrive. If the Emperor is as powerful as Raekah believes, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to consider, albeit not comforting in the slightest.

Interrupting their silence, Canderous glances between the two.  
“So, what do we do now?”

While Raekah hesitates, Meetra steps in between their seats, and places a hand on each.  
“We should try to get inside the Hawk. At this range, it’s unlikely that the other ship would be able to turn their guns towards the shuttle and fire, especially while being docked to ours. Can’t do a lot of graceful maneuvering that way either.”

The other Jedi inclines her head in agreement.  
“You’re right, I think it’s the best chance we’ve got.”  
She pushes a few switches on the controls.  
“Setting a course for the Ebon Hawk. Let’s hope they don’t notice us…”

Canderous snorts and shakes his head.  
“Well, at least these imperials don’t seem to care much for whether they’re intruding on someone’s home or not. Bastards.”

The two women seem to appreciate the sentiment, but neither look particularly ready to laugh at this time, which he doesn’t blame them for either.  
The approach through space is silent and tense as they fly forward for a few minutes, but thankfully, it’s also uneventful.  
Once they arrive, Raekah uses the controls to connect with the Hawk’s internal computers and asks it to open the cargo bay hatch. Almost immediately, it responds and they see how it slowly reveals a gap inside.

“Hmm, seems like no one shut off those systems, at least”, she comments.

Meetra has sat down in her own seat by now and has her arms crossed, gaze completely glued to the screen.  
“Or maybe T3 is still inside and keeps it going? Whoever is in there might not have seen him as a threat.”

“It’s possible.”

The cargo bay in the Ebon Hawk isn’t huge, but thankfully, the shuttle is fairly small too, no more than the size of two or three air speeders put together. Raekah sets it down as gently as she can on the bay’s floor and then asks the ship to close the hatch.  
None of them move until this is all done and they’ve shut off the shuttle’s engines. When they decide to exit the vehicle, and get back into the Hawk, the first thing they immediately notice is how eerily quiet it is on board. Naturally, they suspected it would be, but hoped to be proven wrong.

It's when they take their first steps that both Force users sense presences in the ship and shares a look, managing to see the same trepidation in each other. Canderous spots the movement, but he doesn’t want to know the details. Instead, he puts on his helmet and grabs his rifle, with him and HK both following the women.

Not wanting to make all too much noise, they decide to climb their way to the main level and check the ship room by room. Whoever was in the other vessel, it’s clear that they didn’t bring a lot of people in here, as there are no soldiers searching through all of the Hawk’s quarters - unless they’ve already done this, of course.

Unfortunately, they are not alone, and this is something they come to realize even further when they enter the middle room on the main level, around the holographic projector.  
By the machine itself, they spot six robed individuals, with their clothes ranging in colors from black to dark grey, practically waiting for the crew to arrive. T3 is nowhere in sight, but they hope he has hidden and stayed safe.

As Meetra and Raekah reaches the entrance, the figures all lift their hands and slide their hoods off. All six of them have something very distinct in common – various shades of red skin and very obvious facial features that marks them as something different than zeltrons. These features appear as tendrils, ridges, spurs and other prominent traits.  
Along with this, most of them also have what looks like golden piercings and decorative pieces, which mostly adorn either their noses, ears, throats, lips or jaws. Two of them have black hair, with two more sporting dark brown, but one interestingly enough has dark red strands, and the last is bald.  
Except for the hair and facial features, the last thing of note is the eyes. Most of them have ones in either red or yellow, and all of them have a slight glow to the iris.

This appearance makes Canderous and Meetra share a gaze instead, as they realize it’s the same type of people they saw on the photo down on Nathema.  
In the meantime, Raekah’s eyes sweep the room, slowly surveying each one. The bald one in the back is clearly the tallest and largest, and even as he wears a black cloak, she can see the contours of a heavy black and grey armor beneath it.

Meetra clears her throat, wanting to break the awkward silence.  
“Well uh, this turned out to be rather…interesting.”

“What are you doing here?”, Raekah asks firmly, seemingly getting right to the point.

One of the Sith with a particular deep and monotone voice, addresses them as well.  
“Identify yourselves.”

Raekah frowns at him.  
“What? You are on our ship! It is you who should be telling us who the hell you are.”

“You have entered our territory and therefore, we are the ones who shall ask the questions.”

Raekah clenches her fists, glaring at the Sith which addressed them and isn’t about to do anything for him before she has what she wants. It appears that he feels similarly.  
However, before anyone else can say something, the bald one chooses to speak.  
“They are the ones from my vision.”

Each of the other five all turns to look in his direction for only a moment or two, and then grabs something from underneath their robes. Lightsabers are drawn and ignited, glowing in colors of red, orange and yellow.

Meetra sighs and shakes her head.  
“Well…that escalated quickly.”

Raekah doesn’t seem to question this method and instead draws her own, lighting up the room with violet. Meetra follows suit and equips herself with her dual choice, showing one yellow and one silver. Behind them, HK and Canderous both raise their guns, ready to back the Jedi up, which will most likely be needed.

The initial several seconds are quiet except for the humming of their weapons, albeit not motionless, as both Jedi and Sith move to prepare themselves. They size each other up, trying to predict what will occur and decide who will make the first attack, as well as what tactics to utilize once it all descends.

Surprising most of their opponents, Raekah makes the first move, while charging straight towards the largest opponent, even as he’s not the most obvious target. The bald Sith raises his own red lightsaber just in time, letting their weapons collide. As they stand there, fairly close, his red eyes meet her blue ones and there’s almost a glimmer of surprise in that she shows no fear whatsoever, only determination.

A second later, two of the other Sith on her left side initiates their own assault, attempting to flank Raekah, but they are not quick enough. Before their weapons manage to reach their assigned target, Meetra’s blades slam into theirs, parrying them and then shoves them both back, following it up with an immediate counterattack. A third fighter notices how the darker-skinned human manages to practically pin them both down on her own, and therefore moves in to help them out.

At the same time, the last two fighters, who also figures that it might be best to take out one of the Jedi to begin with, are made busy from elsewhere too, when blaster shots are fired in their directions. Canderous and HK both unleash a steady flow of bolts, but it’s clear that neither of them hopes to hit much. Just as they assumed, the two Sith both manage to deflect every shot and steadily shut the distance to the duo.

Once they’re right in front of the droid and the mandalorian, they hope to strike them both down, as blasters clearly can’t stop an assault like this, but Canderous ducks beneath the attack coming at him and then pulls out a vibrosword from his back, to parry the lightsaber.  
“You didn’t actually think it’d be that easy, did ya?”

The Sith doesn’t say anything, merely frowning at him and likely trying to show how it’s useless for someone without the Force to defy her. Fortunately, Canderous is not so easy to kill and his close range style is very unorthodox, as he utilizes his body just as much, by occasionally trying to trip his opponent, or grab one of her arms to toss her aside. She counters by pushing him away with the Force, but he uses the corner in the next room when she attempts to launch stronger attacks.

At the same time, her partner faces the same dilemma, when HK blocks the weapon with a protruding blade from his arm.  
“Explanation: This body is equipped with a wider range of weaponry than simple blasters and explosives. Your survival rate in this encounter is severely unlikely, meatbag. I suggest making it easier for yourself and surrender now. I will ensure that your death is quick and moderately painless.”

He sneers back at HK.  
“You are nothing but a droid. I will would never lose to a machine.”

Just as he’s about to make a large overhead slash at HK, which might be difficult to block even with the droid’s strength, a hatch opens on HK's chest and fires a scatter shot, which hits the left side of the Sith and makes him step backwards while clutching the wound.  
“Smug clarification: A droid designed to kill any meatbags, even Force users.”

Having dropped his rifle, HK instead uses a blaster pistol to fire at the Sith, who’s now forced to retreat for the time being.

At the same time, the trio fighting against Meetra have managed to end her relentless assault, at least to a slight degree, but they are surprised to see how very versatile she is, and her reflexes are almost impossibly quick. Every time one of them believes they find a gap and attempts to strike at it, she’s there to defend herself and deflect it, before returning a slash of her own, as a counterattack. Meetra’s style is closer to a weird dance, similar to a whirlpool which pulls them all in, but then lashes out when they get too close.

It is also made a little bit harder for them by the fact that one of the three occasionally attempts to aid their sole comrade who is dueling Raekah. He’s likely trying to switch fight, hoping to have two on each, but Meetra constantly pulls him back in, by practically taunting him with her attacks. He can’t ignore her, which may make the other two feel insulted as well, that she’s skilled enough to do this.

Close to the middle of the room, Raekah keeps the duel going between her and the largest Sith. From the feel of his strikes and usage of the Force, he’s presumably the strongest too, at least physically. Initially, he manages to efficiently push her back and she’s forced on the defensive, which likely makes him confident.  
However, as if out of nowhere, Raekah suddenly turns the tide and the Sith feels how he’s fighting for his life, having to parry and deflect her strikes. The most frightening aspect is that she doesn’t seem to look around or observe each piece of movement from him. Instead, it appears that she’s focusing on his eyes at all times, while still being able to win their fight. He wonders if this is a special technique as well, or if she’s simply concentrating on channeling the Force.

What he hopefully realizes during the battle, is that she is testing his strength and resolve, seeing how he performs and evaluates his weaknesses. To him, it’s both shocking and impressive how she’s able to execute this with such skill, by occasionally making him feel as if he’s winning. It is also a frightening to consider how powerful she must really be, if this is no more than a game.

At one point later on, he surmises that she has concluded her analysis, as she starts to truly hammer him, each slash hitting him ruthlessly and with increased strength. He’s barely able to maintain control and hold her back, while she’s pushing him closer and closer to the wall. He soon won't be able to sustain this opposition.  
One of the three who fights Meetra, the same which has tried to help him during the whole fight so far, makes a risky decision and steps away from the other Jedi, to aid their companion. Both Raekah and Meetra senses dark side energy through the Force, as this man forms lightning in his hand.

It only takes few seconds to have it at full power and he unleashes it straight in Raekah’s direction. However, as confident he may have been in his choice, she turns towards him and raises one of her own hands. The lightning surges into her grasp instead, seeming to have an impact, but not for long. She extinguishes the attack, and the Sith looks shocked to see how Raekah practically devours it.

As neither him, nor his bald partner, were ready for this outcome, he doesn’t stand much chance to avoid the attack she prepares in return. Lightning materializes in Raekah’s hand and the eerie aura of the dark side surrounds her, just before she fires back virtually the same sort of spell he shot at her.  
The power hits him right in the chest and he flies backwards due to the pure energy within, slamming into the closest wall with terrifying speed.

The rest of the Sith witnessing this are stunned, as if this was an impossibility they hadn’t prepared themselves for. A woman which Meetra has to fight, turns her gaze towards the bald Sith.  
“You…you said they were Jedi!”

“I-I don’t know! I just told you what my vision showed me!”

The added stress does nothing good for them when Meetra comes at the other duo once more, and just like Raekah, she does not plan to allow their intruders to escape.  
Now with even less opponents, her chances increase substantially, and their own attacks are more panicked. When she dodges a strike from one of her foes, she gets her own weapon into the gap in his defenses and creates a large wound right over his chest.  
His partner isn’t ready for this and tries to help him get away, but Meetra, once more, dances away from her blade. She takes the opportunity to get really close to the Sith, eventually appearing behind her, and Meetra digs her silver lightsaber right into her opponent’s back.  
As the blade is retracted a few seconds later, the Sith slumps to the ground.

After her own fight is done, she moves to help Canderous and HK, but she realizes there is no need.  
The mandalorian-droid duo works hard on letting the Sith underestimate them for not being Force users and just when Meetra turns towards them, she sees how Canderous ends up behind HK’s opponent, stabbing him right in the back with the vibroblade.  
The female Sith moves in to get vengeance on Canderous, but that’s when HK steps to the side, raises his blaster pistol and shoots her twice in the chest. She stumbles backwards and falls down to the floor in the other room.

Just one opponent remains and this particular Sith seems to ooze with emotions at this time. Both Meetra and Raekah sense his fear, which Raekah most likely has been trying to steadily build up, forcing him to make mistakes.  
When Meetra comes to help her comrade, even though it isn’t required, it is too much for him to fight both of them and they can easily disarm him. By both of them using the Force simultaneously, they make him slam into the wall so hard that he drops to the ground, when he tries to land on his feet, and coughs heavily, as he lost his breath.

When he raises his head to find his lightsaber again, vision being somewhat blurry, all he sees is a silver and a purple blade held in the direction of his throat. Knowing he stands no chance at this time, he raises his shaking hands in defeat.

Meetra frowns at him, probably contemplating if she should simply finish him off, but is stopped by Raekah’s voice.  
“This is the last one. We can't kill him. We need the information he has about us.”

The other Jedi nods in agreement.  
“Yeah, you’re right. Perhaps he can tell us what the hell brought them here as well.”  
Lowering and sheathing one of her weapons, she leans down closer to his eye level and places a hand on his shoulder while she smirks.  
“And hey, maybe you can also explain what you meant by ‘vision’ earlier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I wanted to give the Sith a little bit of a chance, but they are fighting against two of the most powerful - if not **the most** powerful - Jedi in the galaxy._


	20. Blood past

In the aftermath of the battle within the Ebon Hawk, the ship, as well as the area, goes quiet once more, even if it would have been impossible for anyone to actually notice anything happening, unless they were close enough for a scan of both vessels.  
The first thing they find, soon after scouring the vicinity for more enemies, is T3-M4. It appears the little droid had attempted to hide within one of the rooms while the Sith had boarded the ship and remained, hoping that nothing bad would occur. Thankfully, it was indeed T3 who kept the systems running, and allowed them to smoothly enter the Ebon Hawk with the shuttle.

While Canderous and HK-47 are sent to examine the other ship, Meetra and Raekah decide to focus on their prisoner.  
They escort him towards one of the now empty crew quarters and put him down in a chair. To his credit, he doesn’t actually struggle at all, and merely does what he’s told. Granted, they are the ones with the weapons and superior power, but they figured he might try to fight regardless.

As Raekah holds her lightsaber ready in her hand and directed towards the Sith, Meetra makes sure to grab some shackles which they use to properly hold him down. He doesn’t say anything during this time either, merely aiming a quiet glare in their directions. Raekah meets his gaze with an equally stern attitude.

Once she’s done, Meetra looks satisfied, pats his shoulder and turns her gaze towards Raekah.  
“And there we go. That should stop him from making any sudden moves. Not that I believe he’d try it, but you never know.”

Raekah’s blue eyes concentrate on the red in his and for a few moments, Meetra wonders if they’re going to try to stare each other into giving in. Raekah does eventually cease this act however and continues to the next.  
“I hope you realize that you’ll have to talk now. We want answers.”

They wait several seconds to see if he reacts in any way, but he doesn’t appear to change his mind. It’s very possible that he’s going to give them the silent treatment and attempt to resist, which they both wouldn’t like much, but are ready to deal with.

“Silence, huh?”, she remarks. “I’m sure you believe that will stop us from finding out what we need to know, but unfortunately, you underestimate our resourcefulness, as well as your own importance.  
Technically, we don’t _need_ you to reach your Empire. We have your ship now, seeing as how there’s no one left to pilot it. I’m sure you have logs and other information that we might find useful, yes? Shouldn’t be too difficult to extract.”

Meetra nods as well, hoping to help out.  
“If nothing else, we could simply wait around for more of your people to come. They’ll want to find your ship, right? Someone will try to search and you wouldn’t wanna be responsible for more lives being thrown at us, would you?”

For a short while longer, he doesn’t seem ready to break, despite their words, but that soon changes as he shakes his head slightly.  
“You are just like the Jedi we have always heard about.”

His voice is even while he speaks and could possibly be called fearless as well. He may be skeptical, which they can sense through the Force, but he is certainly in control of himself.  
They look a bit surprised at first, at what he says.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”, Raekah asks.

“I have never met Jedi before, as far as I know, but my people have a lot of stories about your kind. They speak of you as genocidal and self-righteous hunters, believing only in your own might and ideals, as you prepare to search for us no matter where we go and slaughter us to the last life.”

Not quite what they had expected to hear from a Sith, and it does make their perspectives soften somewhat.  
“Seems we have uh, similar stories, but on opposite sides”, Meetra comments.  
“That’s strange though, since we didn’t even know any of your people still existed. You’re no more than fairy tales and historical curiosities.”

“As you are to us, in a sense.”

Raekah doesn’t wish to apologize for what she said, as she feels that they were still the ones who intruded and attacked the Ebon Hawk and its crew, but senses that being too unfriendly might not gain her anything either.  
“Can you tell us who you are?”

He appears to hesitate at her question, obviously suspicious of her still, but he soon relents to a small degree.  
“I am a servant of the Sith Emperor.”

“Vitiate?”

Finally, part of his mask disperses, as he looks mildly surprised.  
“You know of him, even among the Republic?”

She sighs and shakes her head.  
“I don’t just know of him – I’ve met him.”

The surprise quickly transforms into shock instead.  
“What? How…how is that even possible?”

This is where Meetra thinks he goes a bit far and she raises her hand warningly.  
“Hey, we’re asking the questions here, big guy.”

It seems like he understands that he is still the prisoner here and will have to abide by their rules, even though he doesn’t like it.  
“Fine.”

Raekah folds her arms, eyeing him even more curiously now.  
“What’s your name?”

“In my home, I am known to most as Lord Scourge.”

They hear how Meetra snorts slightly and she smirks a bit as well.  
“Just when I thought that Sith names couldn’t get any more ridiculously malevolent, they surprise me yet again!”

Scourge suddenly glares at her once more, with an even fiercer temperament.  
Raekah merely sighs however.  
“Meetra…”

The other Jedi chuckles and raises her hand in defeat while stepping back.  
“Sorry, just had to point it out.”

Raekah shakes her head, and refocuses on Scourge.  
“Can you tell us what brought you to this location?”

He watches her for a moment, before he glances between the duo.  
“The two of you.”

Not what either of them had expected and they share a quick look.  
“I think you’re gonna have to elaborate on that”, Meetra points out.

Raekah nods.  
“I agree.”

Scourge remains reluctant to speak all too much of what it is they wish to know, but there’s something which makes him change his mind.  
“Several months ago, I had…a vision. In it, I saw the Emperor, leader of our homeland, in all his glory and power.  
He was swirling through the stars, devouring life upon world after world, continuously growing in strength no matter where he went, until the galaxy was almost completely consumed.”

They observe him and see how his eyes move around searchingly, as if he examines an image in his mind.  
“It was magnificent and terrifying”, he continues. This is exactly the kind of emotions they can sense from him as well.  
“However, as ridiculous as it may sound, I saw only two individuals stand up against him, and it would be the duo of Jedi in this very room. I don’t know how I could’ve realized that this is what you were, but somehow, I just…knew.  
You were the only people able to defend the galaxy from his methods.”

The two women contemplate what they hear, and while it’s definitely an interesting prospect, it’s uncertain how accurate that would be. Visions can be…tricky, and not always truthful.  
“Did we win?”, Meetra asks.

He shrugs in return.  
“Unfortunately, I don’t know. My vision did not display any more of the battle, as it chose to show me something different, before it ended.”  
He diverts his eyes, getting a distant gaze within them.  
“I saw the image of the world which we now orbit, but I didn’t know which planet it would be.”  
He looks up to face them again.  
“I needed to know who you were, what this was all about and where it wanted me to go.”

Raekah and Meetra constantly monitor his emotions through the Force and while there’s a lot on his mind, they definitely get the sensation that he’s telling them the truth – or at least he believes he does.  
“What makes you think it wanted you to go anywhere?”

Scourge sighs briefly and shrugs.  
“I had this feeling, somewhere in the depths of my mind, which urged me to seek it out. It felt…urgent somehow.”

The vision is definitely interesting, but they realize they’re gonna have to save the analysis of it for later, and focus on the current situation.  
“I see. You had a few people with you when you all boarded. Who were they?”

“Servants of the Emperor, albeit of stronger faith than I.”

Meetra puts her hands at her hips and tilts her head curiously.  
“And what brought them here then?”

He exhales again, searching his memories for the answers which he needs to present for them.  
“When I received this vision, months ago, I was unsure what to do at first. It did feel urgent, as I mentioned, and as if it was trying to give me some kind of purpose. However, I didn’t know where to even begin.  
Therefore, I did the only thing I believed would be possible to start with – I approached the Emperor.”

Meetra blinks in surprise.  
“Eh…what? What gave you that idea? If he was so dangerous, doesn’t seem like a smart place to start.”

“I had nothing else. It was my hope that by going to him, I would somehow be given a lead to pursue.  
His servants took the information and brought it to the Emperor. A short time later, they returned and told me that the master himself had summoned me.”

Even as they try to listen to his tale, Raekah also finds it very intriguing to study the rest of what he has to say, especially how the Empire operates.  
“I don’t suppose anyone has any choice whether to reject that kind of request or not”, she comments.

Scourge shakes his head.  
“You do not. He is the Emperor, the ultimate creation in this universe, at least according to the teachings within the Empire. But I already wished to see him, so I did not resist.  
Eventually, I entered his temple on our capital world and was brought before him. From everything the servants had told me, it seemed that he wished to know the validity of my claims.”

“Had you seen him in person before this meeting?”

“No, I had not. Few ever do.”  
He takes a deep breath.  
“It was…quite an experience.”  
From the feedback they get from him through the Force, this is probably a huge understatement, but he seems reluctant to reveal anything further.  
“In any case, I told him a somewhat modified version of my vision and he gave me a certain amount of information, but far from everything. He did not explain what the world I had seen was, but told me that some of his servants would take me there and eradicate this threat to his glorious future.”

“He didn’t want to take care of it himself?”, Meetra asks.

“In a way, he did. His servants are part of his entire being, and when they move, so does he.”  
He doesn’t fully explain what he means by that, for now.  
“As a reward for my actions, I was brought into the fold as well and made one of his servants. However, I was never given any gifts of essence, nor was I as high in level of servitude as the others you killed.”

Meetra arches a skeptical eyebrow.  
“Wait, what? ‘Gifts of essence’? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“All servants of importance who serve the Emperor are implanted with a small portion of his essence, to connect them to him and further spread his influence.  
I would likely have been granted this gift as well at some point, but it has not happened during the last few months. It is possible that it was his plan to complete it, after this…test was done.”

“…right. Well uh, sorry for having ruined that weird promotion for ya, I guess.”

He shrugs.  
“It matters not to me. Serving him further was never my goal.”

Raekah has her arms folded still, but moves one of her hands up to her chin now, to rub it in thought.  
“Hmm. Your tale is certainly intriguing, though. I know even more of him than I did previously.”

Meetra glances at Raekah, nodding curtly, before she turns to watch Scourge again.  
“Why are you telling us all this, though? Surely, you would still see us as enemies. Kinda weird to relinquish so many secrets, if that is the case.”

Scourge’s gaze shifts between the two of them for a while, before he settles on Raekah.  
“Please, tell me, have you truly met our Emperor?”

She locks her eyes with his and inclines her head.  
“I have, yes. I went there with one of my old…comrades, several years ago. We had heard rumors of him from someone else and it was our intention to fight him. Unfortunately, we were a bit too…arrogant, and thought ourselves more powerful than we actually were.”

It isn’t completely certain, but Scourge almost appears to be caught in a mild case of disbelief.  
“It is quite surprising to me, despite the fact that I can believe you would be capable of such a thing, after that display of power earlier.  
There have been rumors of Jedi managing to infiltrate our society for a long time, but I always thought the notion was rather ridiculous.”

“Well, I don’t know about any other Jedi, but I was definitely involved in an attempt to destroy Vitiate. It’s possible that we were the only ones to ever get that far, but I can’t be sure.”

His gaze gets a bit more intense.  
”If this is the truth, then surely you must realize the extent of his power and the depths which his darkness can reach.”

Raekah gains an uncertain look across her features then and sighs heavily.  
“Sorry, but unfortunately, I can’t.  
I do know that we encountered the Emperor, as I have discussed it later on with my former friend, but all my memories of it are gone. Your leader stripped my mind of it all, and almost left me with nothing of what I once was.  
I have regained much of that, but I still can’t fully remember some things – the meeting with the Emperor is one of those.”

Scourge seems intrigued for a moment, before he slowly shakes his head.  
“I was not aware he had such power, but it doesn’t surprise me to hear of it.  
Even if you do not recall this encounter, you have been down on the planet, yes?”

“Nathema, you mean? Yeah, I have. A couple of times, actually.”

“Then you should know what it means to stand before him. His presence is very similar to the sensations which you gain from being so close to it.”  
He turns his gaze to the floor, going distant again, as he thinks back.  
“I can still remember my own first meeting. The Emperor is…beyond the dark side, as if he manages to be a power source all on his own. It was…difficult to remain standing in front of such a creature. I was made to kneel, whether I wished to do so or not.”

His explanation makes Raekah frown, while Meetra feels herself swallowing somewhat involuntarily. The words, intermingled with the emotional touch through the Force, almost gives them a sense of what it might be like. Alarming, to say the least.

He has his eyes closed momentarily, before he eventually looks up to frown at them slightly.  
“I want you to understand that I do not care for the Jedi, nor the Republic”, he explains. “However, I do love my people, as well as my homeland. Someone who does not care for the Empire, is the Emperor himself. After seeing my vision and experiencing his presence firsthand, it was all made clear to me.  
I have spoken to servants and heard his words, felt the depth of his power in the echoes of his voice. I don’t believe the Emperor sees any of the citizens in his nation as his people. We are tools, a source to be used for future power, when he needs it.”

Raekah snorts and nods briefly.  
“From what I’ve heard, that seems like a very likely assumption.”

“Do not mistake me for disliking his methods in their entirety – I do have a respect for his sense of superiority, and I would willingly serve a being with such power, would he have used it with care.  
Unfortunately, the Emperor is hardly even a person anymore. Perhaps he never was. He is completely consumed by his will and operates on a level beyond our understanding. I cannot follow this kind of individual.  
Bringing him down would be difficult and likely treasonous, but if it means that I must find aid elsewhere, even among sworn enemies, then so be it. The Emperor is the foremost danger to our entire existence and I cannot allow him to continue.”

His short speech hits home for the two Jedi and they have to stop and actually contemplate his words.  
When they halted their own actions of killing him earlier, this was not the kind of revelation that either of them had expected. Frankly, they had just hoped for a bit of information to take them closer to the Empire, but now, it appears that they may have found a potential ally.

Being unsure of how to proceed, Meetra gives Raekah a look, as if wanting to get her thoughts.  
Raekah has started to pace around her spot in the room and tries to determine her own feelings in the matter. Eventually, she peers into his eyes and lets her curiosity take hold.  
“Your Empire, I have some questions about it.”

“Very well”, he says. “Ask and I shall see what I can answer.”

“I want to know about its general history. We tried to search through Nathema, but we found very little that can help us and most of it is from centuries ago. Where did your Empire come from?”

He inhales deeply once more and steadies himself in the chair.  
“I cannot give you the actual truth of it all, as I know very little of this…Nathema. I know only the official story, provided to us by the Emperor.”

She nods.  
“That would be enough. It might give us some clues, at least.”

“As you wish.  
It all began after the Great Decimation.”

Meetra raises a brow confusedly.  
“The what?”

“I’m not sure what you would call it, but it is our name for the event which brought us out here in this region of the galaxy to begin with.”

“Ah, right. Yeah, we call that the ‘Great Hyperspace War’.”

“I see. An apt name, I suppose, albeit lackluster.  
In any case, after the war, my people had to flee away from their homes and from everything they once knew. They had heard news from the Republic, how their leader had apparently given the order to eradicate what was left of the Sith. The Jedi were at the forefront of this effort and did everything they could to complete the genocide.”

Neither of them speak, but they do recall hearing a similar story in some of the Jedi archives, that trying to destroy the Sith was a method that was apparently deemed necessary.

“At that time,” he continues, “Vitiate appeared before them, as a beacon of hope, and he brought our people under his protection. He used his power and resources to fight the Republic off on certain areas, which saved many lives.  
My people saw him as a savior and kneeled before him. He told them to follow him and that he would find a new home for them to thrive in, far away from their enemies.”

With the tone and aptitude he tells the story, it appears he must know it quite well. They assume it’s something that is taught to all Sith then and gain a further understanding for how much control Vitiate has.

“He led our people outside of what we had previously known of the galaxy, and on a very long voyage”, Scourge explains.  
“They had to jump from world to world, avoiding many disasters and dangers, until they eventually arrived on a planet which the Emperor felt would protect them. It was teeming with dark side energy and our people felt at home there.  
Vitiate told them that he had finally found one of our lost worlds of power, Dromund Kaas, and informed them that it was where our people would rebuild. He announced the new Empire and himself in the position as its leader.  
They planted their roots in its soil and let it grow, as it became a monument to their continued existence.”

He stops for a moment, trying to analyze his own words and feelings on the story. It can’t be avoided that he still feels a sense of pride over it all, even though he now seems to doubt the validity of it. It’s a strange duality of faith and sorrow.

“Through the millennium since its founding”, he continues, “the Empire slowly began to expand, growing stronger and stronger, while they avoided the Republic’s sight. The Emperor’s teachings and will was constantly enforced upon them and he wanted to see them reach their full potential, which entailed doing everything he told them.  
This meant that, during all that time, our people had taken his values to heart, regarding strength, duty, loyalty and military might. Our entire society is built upon these principles and we have always seen them as crucial. Nothing is as important as victory for the Empire.”

Both of the women feel rather unsettled by what they’re hearing. They’ve faced a few empires in the past, but clearly, those were nothing compared to whatever this Vitiate has built in the shadows of the galaxy. After a millennium of growing, they must be extremely powerful at this time.

Raekah stands with her arms still crossed, trying to find an angle to pursue in this mess, but it’s hard to know where to start.  
“If we ask you to, could you take us to this Dromund Kaas?”

Her question seems to surprise both her friend and Scourge.  
“Raekah?”, Meetra asks.

“Pardon? It would be foolish for either of you to go there. No matter how strong you may be, you cannot face the Emperor. His power is beyond comprehension, at least at this time.”

Meetra sighs and shakes her head.  
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yeah, I agree with this guy.”

Raekah nods at both of them.  
“I understand why you would say that. However, I have lost so many memories since my last visit to this world and I still have some left to regain.  
If I can visit Dromund Kaas, see the cities and feel the presence of his darkness, perhaps they will return to me. Who knows? Maybe I found his weakness last time we met and I simply couldn’t act upon it. Either way, I want to try. I need to, for all our sakes.”

Scourge watches her as she speaks, searching her gaze and attempting to find her resolve. It appears that whatever he’s looking for, he locates it, as he appears somewhat resigned soon after.  
“Very well. If that is what you wish, I shall take you to Dromund Kaas.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

Meetra turns her eyes back and forth between them and sighs.  
“Hey uh, not that I wanna be a buzzkill and destroy all your plans or anything, but this guy _is_ still a Sith. Can we really trust him?”

Scourge almost looks a bit amused at the question, especially as its spoken in the open while he’s present.  
Raekah looks at her and shrugs.  
“Probably not, but his distaste for the Emperor does seem genuine to me.  
What else can we do, anyway? This might be our best chance to find a way closer to what our ultimate goal is. We should seize the opportunity.”

Meetra gazes skeptically at Scourge again, before she spreads her arms in defeat.  
“Alright, I guess we have no choice. I just hope you know what you’re doing, Raekah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _As you see, I made a few more changes here, in regard to Scourge's reason for being in the story._


	21. Descent of terror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sup? I'm a bit late this week because of some stuff happening yesterday, which meant I needed to change my schedule a bit._   
>  _Half of this chapter is also a flashback, which sort of made me groan earlier, because I realized how long it would be._
> 
> _Anyway, let's go, I guess._

In the heart of the current borders of Imperial space, lies the capital world of Dromund Kaas. To the wider galaxy, it is nothing special; a remnant of a fallen civilization, lost to time and distant memories. However, for those in what is known to the Republic as the ‘Unknown Regions’, the planet is one of many things. A beacon of salvation, a prideful monument of survival, a prison, a living hell – it is both none and all of these things. One day, it may be even more than that, when it is inevitably revealed to its enemies.

As the imperial ship, albeit with a different crew, goes down for a landing, Raekah’s team are glad to see that no one appears to have made a big fuss of their approach. They park inside one of the hangars at the spaceport specifically reserved for members of the Sith Order, and then proceed in the direction of the identification booths.  
For now, it is Scourge who leads them onwards, with the rest following behind him. Most of them wear their normal outfits, but have decided to obscure themselves a little bit. Canderous wears his helmet, while both Meetra and Raekah have their hoods pulled up. Once more, it is T3-M4 who has had to wait in the Ebon Hawk, and just like last time, he’s still in orbit.

They finally arrive in the area where a lot of scanning is done to each new arrival, and when Scourge approaches, the staff member looks up at him and immediately gains a somewhat fearful expression on her face. She doesn’t know who he is, but doesn’t need to either – he’s clearly Sith and not just any, but a pureblood.  
She does her best to remain professional however and clears her throat.

“Good afternoon, my lord. I uh…I will need to scan you for your identification.”

He notices how she swallows and can feel the fear being emitted from her, but this is a rather normal experience for him, wherever he goes. He simply inclines his head.  
“Get on with it.”

She actually looks a bit surprised by his reaction, as if she might’ve expected something much worse, but then pushes a few buttons on her datapad and the small drone next to her begins to scan him, as well as the rest of his entourage.  
It doesn’t take long for her to get results and when they arrive, she appears practically terrified.  
She lowers the datapad and bows her head.

“M-my sincerest apologies, my lord! I…I did not mean to disturb a servant of the Emperor! Please, allow me to-“

Scourge sighs briefly and waves dismissively.  
“I don’t care. Your apology is not needed.”

She stands up straighter again, seeming at least a little bit relieved that she won’t be suffering for it. Her eyes are momentarily diverted to his companions and then down at the datapad again.  
“These individuals are…not in our database, but they are obviously with you, so they must be of…importance. What shall I log them as, my lord?”

“They are nothing more than off-world hired help. I have need of them and I don’t have to answer to you regarding their purpose.”

“Yes! Yes, o-of course, my lord. I shall immediately give them designations tied to you. There will be no issue for you or any of them during your stay here.”

She soon steps aside and lets them pass, with Scourge walking forward without so much as a second glance at the woman.  
On their stroll towards the entrance, just like she promised, there isn’t any more members of the staff, or anyone at all really, who gets in their way. When they finally arrive and head through the opening at the front, a darkened and fairly gloomy sight is unveiled before them.

Their current position is somewhat elevated, which grants them the opportunity to look out across several miles of thick jungles, populated with trees that seem to almost grow into each other. Occasionally along its length, there are metallic pillars, possibly signal towers or communications arrays. They don’t really know for sure.  
The skies are probably the worst part though – dark, cloudy and with lightning poking through now and then, as if a constant storm looms above the land.

A bit further behind the Sith at the front, both Canderous and Meetra turn their eyes upwards and sigh.  
“Well, this is an…interesting view”, he remarks, somewhat dryly.

“Yeah...”, she agrees, hesitantly.  
“The dark side is very prominent here. I can feel it. Gotta say, this whole place looks very eerie.”

Canderous nods in agreement.  
“Pretty much. What the hell is it with Sith worlds? Why do they hate the sun so much?”

Meetra smirks at him then and shakes her head, but her attention is soon turned towards Raekah, who walks past them and stops by Scourge’s side. At the same time, he appears to observe her as well, perhaps watching her reaction to being here.  
“Any progress?”, he asks.

She waits a few moments with her response, stuck in a rather distant gaze, before she shakes her head a few moments later.  
“Nothing yet. I can’t sense anything familiar, at the very least.”

“There is much more to see. Perhaps we will simply have to retrace your steps.”

Raekah begins to furrow her brow and lifts her arms to fold them, still staring out over the jungle. Shortly after, she turns back to Scourge with an intense look.  
“There is supposed to be some sort of major city around here, I believe? At least I get that sense from what little I can remember.”

He nods and then shifts his body in a different direction, pointing to a location past the jungle. If they narrow their eyes a bit, it is possible for them to spot structures, far in the distance. For being so far away, and still be visible, it must mean that those building are huge, to tower over the landscape in that fashion.  
“Kaas City. It is our largest and foremost settlement on this world, and has been the administrative and judicial capital for a long time. It is also where our Empire once began.”

Meetra moves her hand in under her robes and pulls out a set of macrobinoculars from a pocket. She lets it sweep over what is within view and finds herself focusing on one particular building that she can see exceptionally well from this distance.  
“Uh, Scourge? I can see one very big structure, going way above the rest. What is that?”

“The Imperial Citadel. A lot of the Spheres of Influence operate through that facility, led by the Dark Council.”

She hands the binoculars to Canderous, when he gestures that he wants to use them, and then looks towards Scourge.  
“Dark Council?”

“They are the ruling body of the Empire, controlling most of the various government institutions and deciding how we progress. Twelve members, each ruling a so-called ‘Sphere of influence’, they take care of everything that is done within the Empire, activities that are below the Emperor’s notice. Obviously, they also enact his will.”

“Huh. Sounds very…organized. For Sith, I mean.”

He frowns slightly towards her.  
“We are not savages, if that is what you believed. Many of us prefer a sense of order in our lives.”

Meetra raises her hands somewhat defensively.  
“Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. Just pointing it out, that’s all.”

Raekah ignores their little argument and interrupts them.  
“Can we go to this Kaas City?”

He seems to calm down somewhat when she speaks to him and inclines his head in agreement.  
“We can, but we will need a vessel. Follow me.”

There’s a bit of space on the outskirts of the port’s main facility, filled with shuttle platforms and vehicles parked on them. Several of them seem to be gone at this time, but one has not yet left, even though it appears to be getting occupied soon.  
The pilot is about to get inside with his passenger, when Scourge approaches and calls out for them.

“You there, hold. I need your shuttle.”

The pilot looks at Scourge and offers him an uncertain gaze, but doesn’t immediately step away. Instead, he looks at the man by his side, which seems to be an older human, having black and somewhat greying hair, with some form of red tattoos on his left cheek. He turns towards Scourge and frowns.  
“Excuse me?”

“Did you not hear me the first time? I am taking your shuttle, because I need it.”

The tattooed man doesn’t get any more pleased with Scourge’s attitude the second time and closes the distance between them. Because of Scourge’s height, he also has to turn his head up somewhat.  
“Do you know who you are speaking to? I am a Lord of the Sith! You will address me with the proper respect, boy! And I will not let you just steal my craft, either!”

They can all see how Scourge’s own frown deepens, but despite the taunt, he doesn’t let himself get swallowed up in the indignant nature of it.  
“Theft? That’s an interesting accusation to make, especially to a servant of the Emperor.”

The other Sith seems confused by his statement and searches his expression, as well as quickly surveying him.  
“What? Who are you?”

“I am Lord Scourge, chosen servant of the Emperor himself. If you wish to check my credentials, I am certain that the staff inside the spaceport would be glad to give you proof of my claim.”

This time, it appears the older man is somewhat discouraged from continuing the fight and instead, he takes a hesitant step back.  
“Oh, I…my apologies. I was not aware of your identity. Naturally, I don’t intend to get in the way of the tools of the Emperor.”  
He gestures for the pilot to move away.  
“Leave and hand the vessel over to Lord Scourge. I will find another later on.”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Both of them give Scourge one last glance, before they turn away and head back into the spaceport. As they’re still out in public, Scourge continues to play his part and gestures at Canderous.  
“You, get into the cockpit and fly this thing.”

Canderous arches a brow under his helmet, gives the others a look and then shrugs.  
“As you wish, ‘my lord’”, he comments quite dryly.

As he approaches the doors at the front, the rest of the team follows Scourge into the back and gets inside to find seats for each of them. Thankfully, it doesn’t take Canderous long to start the shuttle up and get it into the air, as it appears that the controls are fairly similar to other ones he has flown.  
During the trip towards the city, Raekah’s eyes are constantly drawn to its appearance and internally, she almost tries to push her mind to open up somehow. There must be something here that she’s missing. What can she do to make the memories reveal themselves to her?

Scourge continues to observe her as well, while emotions of doubt and curiosity combines in his mind, as he attempts to evaluate her. Whether she’s the real deal or simply another enemy of the Emperor is something he hasn’t decided yet, in spite of all he has witnessed thus far. His vision seemed clear, but he doesn’t yet know if it can be fully trusted. What if he’s wrong and he will betray his homeland without good reason? Either way, he must see both sides and find out.

While the others seem occupied with their own thoughts, Meetra starts to feel troubled the closer they get to Kaas City, or at the very least in regard to something within this region. Eventually, she decides to poke Raekah.  
“Hey, do you sense anything strange around here?”

Raekah turns to face her and understands what she means, but even while reaching out with her mind, there’s nothing in particular that draws her attention.  
“Not more than the general presence of the dark side. Why?”

Meetra begins to fidget with her hands and her gaze is drawn to the floor.  
“I…don’t really know. There is something else behind that veil, in the vicinity. It is almost like…like it's familiar to me somehow.”

“Familiar?”

“Yeah. Like I’m back on Malachor.”

This definitely gets Raekah interested and her eyes move searchingly while she peers at Meetra.  
“Did you feel like this back on Nathema too?”

“No, I didn’t. I mean, sure, that was pretty bad too, but this is different. It’s…almost magnetic, like we’re polar opposites, but of the same material, being pulled together.”  
She scratches one of her arms, diverting her eyes to the window. She appears somewhat nervous as well.  
“It’s kinda similar to when I faced Darth Nihilus, actually. Just…a lot wider.”

Well, that is certainly an ominous sign and Raekah scowls deeply as she tries to understand what it might be, and even more than that, attempting to reach out to understand what Meetra is talking about. But there’s nothing for her to grasp.

“I do not know either of those names, but the way you describe this presence, it is likely the Emperor that you can sense", Scourge comments.

Meetra sighs and shakes her head.  
“Great, so we’ve got a special connection just between him and I. Lucky me…”

“You speak sarcastically, but I must admit, it is remarkable that you are capable of such a feat.”

Meetra looks uncomfortable as she crosses her arms and leans back in her chair.  
“Let’s not talk about this, please.”

Naturally, Raekah is just as intrigued as he is, but for her, this is more important than a mere curiosity. She puts a hand to Meetra’s shoulder and leans closer.  
“Are you okay?”, she asks, almost in a whisper.

Meetra raises her hand and puts it on top of Raekah’s, showing that she appreciates the gesture.  
“No, but I can endure it. At least for now.”

“If you need anything…”

“I know. Don’t worry about it. We’ve got more important stuff to focus on.”

The rest of the trip to the city is held in silence, and most of them try to concentrate on themselves and what needs to be done once they get in there. There is always the unfortunate possibility that the Emperor can sense them as much as they can feel his presence, which they hope to avoid, if they can.  
Canderous lands on one of the indicated areas at the edge of the city, and does it in a fairly smooth manner, which he’s quite pleased with. They move towards the door and when it slides open for them, the sights of Kaas City are soon revealed.

Scourge is first to leave the vessel, with Meetra shortly behind him, but Raekah doesn’t immediately step outside, as she instead stops at the entrance hatch and lets her eyes absorb as much as they can. The wide array of city lights is the first thing that gets her attention, but after that, it’s the lightning strikes above. She notices one of them not all too far from where they arrive and when she spots it, she sees how its driven into some form of massive rod, which collects its energy.

Wait a minute. Has she not seen this before?  
Memories of rain, thunder and crowded streets begin to flood her thoughts and she grips the wall a bit tighter. She lifts her hand, having to ignore the voices around her, as she rubs her forehead. She feels herself getting light-headed and its becoming difficult to stand.  
“Alek, we have to…” she mumbles, before she falls backwards into HK-47’s arms.

* * *

  
_The shrouded hallway continues onwards, into the depths of the facility. Wherever they are now, there’s no turning back and there’s no help to be gained. If they are to succeed at this point, there is only one path to follow – forward, despite whatever risks may be involved._

_While they can’t really see much else than the occasional sparks of lightning, likely emitted from some kind of generator, they don’t really need to. The Force is their guide and it tells them everything they need to know – death inhabits this place and it will be what they have to defeat, in order to succeed._

_Revan’s eyes are drawn to the side, seeing Alek walk with just as much determination. Well, he prefers to use the name of Malak these days, but Revan still finds it kind of silly._  
_Then again, they seem to have made similar choices when it comes to their identities now, so what does it matter?_  
_All that they need to focus on, is succeeding with their mission and defeating yet another danger to the galaxy, just like they did with the mandalorians._

 _While they continue with purpose behind every step, there’s something else which makes them feel as if something is wrong. It’s as if they’re being watched, which isn’t entirely surprising, but the deeper they go, the more intrusive this sensation becomes._  
_It suddenly becomes all too evident to Revan, that they may have miscalculated somewhere along the way._  
_“Alek.”_

_“What?”, he says, sounding a little bit annoyed that his current title isn’t used._

_“You feel that, don’t you?”_

_“Yeah, of course.”_

_Revan hesitates only momentarily._  
_“I don’t like it. He may have made some preparations for us.”_

 _Malak snorts towards his companion._  
_“So? We knew everything wouldn’t go down as we planned. He doesn’t know us though, and that is our advantage.”_

_“Maybe, but I still think that we should-“_

_Before anything else is said, a voice echoes throughout the hallway, seeming to originate from everywhere around them, and at the same time, from nowhere._  
_“Revan, Malak – I have expected you. How pleasant of you to arrive just in time.”_

_The voice is somewhat hoarse and slow, but there’s a power, a significance behind every word. They feel as if he’s very confident, but it’s not something that they couldn’t have foreseen. That he knows their names, though, that is the unnerving part. They don’t remember giving them to anyone on this world._

_Not wanting to mess around, Revan draws a lightsaber and ignites it, before calling out to the darkness._  
_“Vitiate! We know of your schemes and your plans for this galaxy! Did you think that no one would find out and try to stop you?”_

 _They hear a chuckle echo throughout the halls._  
_“You see yourselves as some great investigators, having exposed my deepest secrets? Amusing, but not impressive.”_

 _Malak frowns and grabs the hilt of his weapon as well, while he continues onwards, forcing Revan to follow him._  
_“Maybe you will find us a little bit more remarkable when we cut off your head.”_

 _“Malak, ever the impatient one, and ready to boast, despite inferior skill._  
_I will admit that your victory against my tools was fairly interesting. It had me intrigued, that much is certain._  
_However, your visit to Nathema was far more exciting. It revealed your true nature and potential, of which I could not quite have anticipated earlier.”_

 _Malak grips his blade a bit tighter and increases his speed._  
_“How…how could you have known we were there? That’s light-years away!”_

 _The Emperor merely snorts amusedly and continues to let his voice reverberate through their minds._  
_“Impossibility only exists for those who accept it. Once your understanding expands, it is a simple task to look beyond any border.”_

 _Revan begins to realize where they need to go, grabbing Malak’s shoulder once they walk by another passage and takes him in the right direction._  
_“Why are you doing all this?”, Revan asks. “What do you hope to accomplish by making people suffer from afar? Is this a game to you?”_

 _“It is possible to define existence as a game overall, dear Revan._  
_The minds of people in this galaxy are so fragile and can break at the slightest of touches. The Republic needed to be tested, and the mandalorians were the perfect tools for this task, disposable as they were.”_

_Revan and Malak soon enters what appears to be some kind of throne room, although not exactly a luxurious one. A single road leads towards what appears to be the throne at the far side, which is placed on a large and round platform. On both sides of this walkway, there are several spiked pillars, spewing lightning into some kind of receivers on the roof. By the walls, they can see loads of tubes and wires which leads to all the machinery in the room, including the Emperor’s seat._

_When they’re close enough, Revan lifts the lightsaber and points it at their foe._  
_“It ends here, Vitiate. We will take you down, once and for all. Your threat to this galaxy is over.”_

 _Normally, Malak would roll his eyes at the bravado and for letting his friend make such a stupidly heroic statement, but right now, he doesn’t care, as being within Vitiate’s presence is unnerving enough as it is. He knows that whatever happens here, this being needs to die._  
_Vitiate chuckles once more and puts his hands at the armrests to his throne. Through some of the eruptions of energy from the pillars, it gives them enough light to see that the hands appear to be dark red._

_“Your resolve is certainly a fascinating aspect of your personalities. Perhaps I shall indulge you for now, after all.”_

_Malak turns his lightsaber around confidently in his hand while they stride forward._  
_“We defeated your guards outside without much trouble. You think you can truly win this fight?”_

_As he slowly stands up from his seat, they jump and launch their first strikes towards him, but to their surprise, he doesn’t actually draw any weapons of his own. Instead, he merely raises his hands and blocks both blades with what they can only assume to be some kind of Force-infused shield. Or is this really the extent of his power? Can he simply shrug off lightsabers?_

_They don’t let this deter them and continue to attack him, launching a variety of assaults from different angles. However, for each one, Vitiate’s hands seem to be there to deflect them. He can simply divide his attention equally and hardly even needs to be looking at them._  
_At this distance, Revan tries to get a better view of his face, but it is obscured by the darkness of his hood and robes. There isn’t even any red glow from the dark side, which should be expected._

_After about a minute of fighting, and not even having made a dent in his defenses, he stomps the ground once, sending out a shockwave which makes them both slide backwards. Because of their own strengths in the Force, they manage to at least block it to a small extent, enough to not be tossed to any awkward lengths._

_“Your skills are certainly impressive. I can see why the Imperial Guard would be inadequate against you. However, in the end, you are but Jedi. Your comprehension of existence has not reached the depths I have seen.”_

_Malak snorts derisively, spinning his lightsaber around again and moves forward independently of Revan this time._  
_“You think you scare us, ‘Emperor’? Sorry to disappoint you, but we don’t cower as easily as your pawns.”_

 _Vitiate laughs when Malak’s blade is impeded once more._  
_“Afraid? Dear boy, you have yet to understand the true meaning of fear._  
_If you wish, I would be more than happy to demonstrate.”_

 _Revan gets up as well then and tries to call out._  
_“Alek, get back!”_

 _Unfortunately, the warning comes too late and the next time Malak is shoved backwards, Vitiate lifts a hand and flicks his finger in the air, which pushes Malak’s lightsaber out of his grasp. The second after, a small string of lightning shoots out from the same finger, hits Malak’s chest and flings him away, as if he were nothing more than a leaf in the wind._  
_All Revan can see, is how he glides through the air and bounces hard against the floor a few times, before finally stopping at the far wall._

 _Not wanting to get distracted, Revan looks back at Vitiate and is just in time to see another attack coming. With the lightsaber raised, it can easily be blocked._  
_“I have been observing you for quite some time, Revan. Malak is interesting, but you…you have my full attention.”_

 _Revan decides to get a bit closer, but not all too much and instead begins to circle around the Emperor._  
_“Observing me in what way?”_

_“Watching you grow, how your progress flourishes and when you adapt to every situation. It is quite remarkable.”_

_“Guess I should be flattered, but sadly, I don’t tend to seek the approval of despots.”_

_Vitiate emits a brief laugh and shakes his head._  
_“That is your one flaw. Your potential is there and has the ability to develop to immense proportions, but your ambition is thoroughly lacking. However, this can always be rectified.”_  
_He reaches out with his hand towards Revan._  
_“There is always a path and the one I offer is more than what you could’ve ever asked for.”_

 _Revan scoffs and instead of taking it, lashes out with the lightsaber. Unfortunately, there’s no meaningful impact, as Vitiate easily blocks it._  
_“You think you can lure me with promises of power? Laughable. If I sought power, I would’ve gone for it long ago.”_

 _“Is that so?”, Vitiate asks, while they fight. Or rather, Revan struggles, and Vitiate observes._  
_“I think you underestimate yourself. Look at what you have accomplished, what you have built so far. You have an army, the beginnings of your own empire, which follows your every lead, your every command.”_

_“I gathered them for a good cause, to save people around the galaxy and protect the Republic!”_

_“Against the wishes of the Jedi Council.”_

_Revan is almost taken aback that he would know of this, as it should not really be something that many outside of the Order, or at least not those who are not even involved with Republic politics, should know about._  
_“…they were ignoring the true threat and endangering innocent citizens. I had to act.”_

 _“Of course you did, because you seek challenge, to test your strength. You had to take charge, because no one else was doing it properly, is that not correct?_  
_We are more alike than you might believe.”_

 _Revan tries to find a gap in Vitiate’s defenses, but it’s nigh impossible. Every move, technique and trick that can be used on any other opponent is useless, and every time there seems to be a possibility, Vitiate is there to shove it away._  
_“You think I’ll be lured by a Sith? You must be more stupid than I thought. Such things have happened too many times in history and I won’t fall for your lies.”_

_“Sith? Hah! You compare me with beings of a lesser nature. To learn from me would be far beyond the lengths of mere Sith.”_

_“I don’t care what you call yourselves – you’re all the same!”_

_Vitiate continues to hinder a few quite intense assaults, infused with a delicious amount of passion, but it is far from enough to make any sort of progress against this entity._  
_“Perhaps you haven’t quite realized what it is I have to offer.”_  
_In another surprising move, Vitiate does not block the next strike, but instead grabs ahold of the lightsaber’s blade in one hand, making Revan’s eyes widen._  
_“Here, let me show you.”_

 _By pulling the lightsaber forcefully closer, Revan is drawn in as well, and he plants a hand on top of the red and dark grey mask._  
_A gasp is heard from beneath it, as power surges through it, and into Revan’s body and mind. Shortly after, the descent into the void has begun._


	22. Awakening echoes

Gradually, the darkness fades from her eyes and the immediacy of consciousness returns. Any intention of keeping her breathing steady is not currently on her mind and therefore, she begins to pant somewhat. Desperately attempting to understand what’s going on, Raekah slowly glances around her current position, and she quickly realizes that she’s on the inside of a structure, which appears to be a half-lit room. With how soft her current position is, compared to the ground, she must be on a bed as well.

To establish things even further, she pushes herself upwards into what she hopes is a seated position, but it’s difficult to struggle. Her throat is dry, she’s got quite a headache and the disorientation she feels surrounds everything. At least she’s not injured, or she can’t sense any major pain in her body, other than her head.  
When she lifts her hand to make sure that nothing got bumped her up there, she hears a voice to the side.

“So, you’re finally awake.” 

Trying to swiftly turn in that direction, her sight is still mostly filled by a blur, but with the size of the individual and with what appears to be a lack of hair, she decides to make a guess.  
“Alek?”, she says, with a hoarse tone.

The person comes closer, and the less distance between them, the more Raekah realizes her mistake.  
“No, it’s Lord Scourge”, he tells her.

It’s hard to notice, but she feels momentarily embarrassed.  
“…sorry.”

At that time, movement can be heard from outside of the room, and someone else enters the area, immediately moving up to her and kneeling next to the bed.  
“Raekah”, Meetra says, while she puts a hand on top of her companion’s.  
“How are you feeling?” 

The sensation is at least somewhat comforting, which is good enough in her eyes.  
“I…I don’t…”  
She hesitates, finding it difficult to know what exactly it is she wants to say.  
“I’m not quite sure what happened. Where are we and how did I end up in here?”

“You passed out in the shuttle”, Scourge explains plainly.

Meetra nods in agreement and then moves off to the side, apparently pouring up some kind of liquid and soon after, hands Raekah a mug of water, which she drinks from eagerly.  
“We don’t know exactly what happened to you, but we had to carry you away after that. Scourge took us to the closest place where we could rent a bed. We used the excuse that you had been drinking too much, which is why you were in this state.” 

Raekah manages to drink the contents of the mug pretty much in one go and pants even heavier after she’s done. The headache is still there, but at least she can see better now, as well as feel like she’s not breathing through sand in her throat.  
“That was…a smart move. I’m sorry it ended up this way. How long was I out?”

“A day. Canderous and HK have been out looking for more information and they’ll be back later.” 

Raekah nods, simply accepting this as necessary precautions when she wasn’t there, but before she manages to properly arrange her thoughts, another question is raised.  
“Did you receive any memories of the past?”, Scourge asks.

Not having expected this so immediately, Raekah gives him a fairly surprised look.  
“What? How did…how did you know that?” 

“A calculated guess. I figured your body would react to this arrival, in some fashion. However, I will admit that such an extreme result was not expected.”

Raekah isn’t sure whether she should be suspicious by this response or not, but for now, it’s best to let it be.  
“Well, you’re right. I did have…a flashback.”

Being satisfied that he was correct, Scourge nods, while Meetra doesn’t seem quite as confident.  
“We could wait, if you want to talk about it later.” 

While she appreciates the concern, Raekah shakes her head.  
“No, that’s okay. It’s best just to get it over with.”  
She takes a deep breath, and Meetra fills her mug with more water, as the canister is nearby.  
“I saw…the last moments within the Emperor’s lair, when me and Alek attempted to fight him together.” 

Scourge arches a questioning brow stalk.  
“You said that name before.”

She shuts her eyes and rubs her forehead.  
“He…he was a friend of mine, a long time ago. It was him and I who attempted to bring down Vitiate. Unfortunately, we failed.”  
When opening them again, they start to move around searchingly, as if now clearly being able to recall the past much better.  
“It was…a devastating loss. Vitiate faced us without fear, deflecting our every attack, as if we were mere toys. No matter what we tried, it was pointless.” 

Meetra sits there and watches her, feeling the uncertainty penetrate her thoughts.  
“Shit. I…I wish I could’ve been there with you.” 

Scourge snorts.  
“The outcome you speak of is not surprising at all. The Emperor is too powerful to be defeated in a fair fight.  
Did you see anything of use? Any weaknesses or something we could exploit?” 

“No, I can’t say that I did”, Raekah admits. “At the time, I was way too focused on trying to stay alive. I did attempt several different attack patterns and looked for signs of him slowing down, but there was nothing.  
His power was immense, and it was terrifying just being in the vicinity of his presence.”  
After taking another deep breath, she turns her gaze up towards Scourge’s.  
“I now realize what you meant earlier.” 

He looks back at her and nods, satisfied that they’re on a level of understanding.  
“I thought you might.”

After drinking a bit more, this time much slower, Raekah sighs, not sure if she should be disappointed or annoyed.  
“Alek and I should’ve figured out how mistaken we were when we tried to face him like that. It was naive and hasty.”

Meetra displays some uncertainty and reaches out, trying to take her hand again, squeezing it gently. How hard did this really hit Raekah?  
“Are you going to be okay?”

She is at least well enough to return the gesture and appears to appreciate it.  
“I think so, just…I need to rethink our strategy.” 

“Fair enough.  
Like I said, Canderous and HK are out looking for answers. They’re asking around the city, to see what we can find out about the situation. So far, it certainly doesn’t look very well.” 

Raekah nods briefly.  
“Anything we can use?”

“Sort of. They’ve been able to get information that could benefit the Republic, or at the very least, the Jedi, but I’m still not sure how exactly we should act in this case. Dunno if we can make much of a dent.” 

While she listens, Raekah isn’t actually keeping her eyes on her companions. She’s trying to figure out her own stance in this matter, and what needs to be done. She hasn’t been considering strategies and thinking several moves ahead for quite some time. War is still very distant, but she may have to try to work it back into her mindset.

“I don’t want to…criticize your efforts”, she starts, “but I think coming here may have been a mistake to begin with, just as much as it was when I came here with Alek. We can’t find any answers in this place.” 

Meetra has no good response, nothing that could help bring back some faith, which allows Scourge to comment instead.  
“That is not entirely true. It seems likely that you had to come here, to gain the vision that you just received. You now fully realize what it is you face.” 

While Raekah will contest the ‘full’ classification, the rest may actually be reasonable.  
“I…guess you may have a point, but that doesn’t alter the fact that we need to change our approach.”

Trying to raise their spirits a little bit at least, Meetra smiles and pats Raekah’s shoulder.  
“Hey, look on the bright side – you now know the depths of the Emperor’s power much better and we have information on both Nathema and Dromund Kaas. That’s better than nothing, right?”

“And I am willing to part with some more that you might find useful, before you leave”, Scourge adds.

Meetra looks over her shoulder towards him.  
“You’d do that for us?”

“Yes. If it helps defeat the Emperor, we may need to make certain sacrifices. This does not just include me or the Empire, but your Republic too. Before this is over, much will have to be done in the name of victory against this entity.” 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” 

After thinking about their situation some more, Raekah finally looks up, letting her eyes drift between the two of them.  
“For now, I think it’s best if we simply return to the others in the Jedi enclave and try to work out some kind of plan for how to proceed. We will need feedback and ideas from Bastila, Visas and the others. Maybe they can give us some fresh ideas.” 

Meetra smiles, glad to see that Raekah hasn’t given up, at least.  
“Yeah, I agree. They always have pretty interesting perspectives and I’m sure we can figure something out.”  
Shortly after, she turns to gaze at Scourge again.  
“What about you? What will you do now? I mean, you could come with us, if you want to.” 

He looks back at her, giving her a feeling as if he wasn’t quite ready for her to offer, but it soon disperses and he shakes his head.  
“That will not be necessary. Once you leave, I believe it would be better for me to simply remain on Dromund Kaas. While you and your team try to formulate some kind of strategy, I can roam freely within the confines of the Empire and oversee the ongoing occurrences, relaying the important aspects to you.” 

“You’ll just…walk around?” 

“Not aimlessly, of course. In my position, I can gain information regarding the Emperor, the Dark Council and the Sith academy, seeing what events will transpire, evolve and how likely it would be that a move against the Republic would be made.”

Raekah observes him at the same time.  
“You think it’s possible that they’ll actually consider an attack soon?”

“It’s not impossible. The Emperor did raise the subject to the Dark Council several years ago, through his Voice. He did not say that any steps should be taken just yet, but he has insinuated that the time may soon be upon us.” 

A piece of news that does not appear to bring much hope to either of the Jedi.  
“Alright, guess your idea is pretty solid then”, Meetra agrees.  
“I think we can fix some kind of encrypted holo comm, that we can converse through every now and then. Or, at the very least, we could arrange a good spot for us to meet on occasionally.”

“I agree, as I doubt this particular issue will be difficult to solve.”

While Raekah agrees, and finds it unnecessary to add any thoughts of her own on that subject, there’s another angle that they might not have considered.  
“Scourge, what will you actually do regarding the Emperor?”

He turns to meet her gaze.  
“What do you mean?”

“Your mission to take us down, one of the foremost threats to his power, failed. Isn’t it possible that he might punish you for this?” 

While Meetra looks mildly surprised, obviously not having given this much thought, Scourge shows much more of a grim acceptance.  
“Yes, it is. The act of making him see it in another light will be…difficult, but I believe it can be done.”

“How?”

“I will try my best to explain the strength of the two Jedi I faced, and how much we underestimated their power. The bodies are already there for him to see, after all, if he hasn’t already sensed it.  
I don’t fully trust that this will save my life, but if I tell him that I managed to fight both of you long enough for me to actually escape, he may at least grant me the chance to continue living, or prove that I have some value to him still.” 

Not the most hopeful of scenarios and neither of the women appear to be very comfortable regarding just leaving a new ally in a mess like this.  
“Wow, that…sounds pretty rough”, Meetra remarks.

“True, and giving him this information will likely prevent me from further rising in the ranks of his service, but I am not interested in it regardless. It could’ve been beneficial, in order to gain more knowledge of the deepest operations in the Emperor’s powerbase, but there’s also the possibility that he might’ve used his essence to influence me further. That is a risk I would not want to take.”

“I see your point.” 

Raekah folds her arms, however.  
“He might also restrict your freedom.” 

Scourge shifts his eyes in her direction and inclines his head.  
“It’s not impossible, but if he leaves me alive, it would seem unlikely to me that he would try to stop me from continuing my work. I could use the angle that I want revenge, which is a very valid emotion among the Sith. He would respect that, I believe.” 

Despite a reasonable answer, Raekah still looks unsatisfied.  
“Yeah, maybe, but you can’t rely on that. Remember, he is not a creature that you can so easily predict. You think of him as a Sith, but he’s not – he’s far worse than anything that the cruelest of Sith can ever consider doing. He believes himself above you and everyone else in your society, and everything you’ve been taught from your people, may not apply to anything that surrounds him.”

The words of wisdom make it sound as if she knows better than anyone, which might be true to a certain extent, but neither of these two had expected to hear her say it with such confidence.  
Scourge hesitates for a moment, before he nods curtly.  
“I…will keep that in mind.” 

“Please do – we’re depending on you now, just as much as you have to depend on us. Do not take unnecessary risks, Scourge, for all of us.” 

He stands up a bit straighter, as if feeling that the burdens on his shoulders are becoming something real and he has to keep them away as best as he can.  
“Don’t worry, I do not aim to fail any of us. The Empire will need me to remain clearheaded and that is what I intend.” 

Meetra stands up, glancing between the two of them and then nods.  
“Well uh, I guess we’ve found something we all agree on then. I think it’s best if I help Raekah prepare to leave, and also call HK and Canderous, so that we can get out of here as soon as possible.”

“That would probably be wise.”

Turning to face him, Meetra surveys him briefly once more, trying to make up her mind about what to think of him, but there are so many conflicting emotions swirling through her.  
Eventually, she reaches out with her hand.  
“If our departure turns out to be way too hectic, I might as well say it now – good luck, Scourge.” 

Scourge looks down at her hand, then up at her eyes, before he raises his own and takes it, shaking it once.  
“And you as well, Surik.” 

They soon hear a groan from the bed and when they shift in that direction, they notice how Raekah has moved so that her legs hang off the side of it, trying to use her hands to support the rest of the body, as she attempts to remain seated. She looks exhausted, but struggling against it.  
“Before you go, I think there’s something I can help you with.” 

Scourge arches a brow rather skeptically, but he cannot deny the curiosity beneath.  
“Oh? Go on.” 

Raekah looks around her current position.  
“Meetra, where’s my bag?”

Blinking confusedly, Meetra moves towards the foot of the bed and reaches down to the floor, soon raising the item up from it.  
“Sorry, I left it there. Wanted to keep it close but, not right on top of you.” 

When she receives it, Raekah nods at her friend.  
“Thanks.”  
She digs her hand into it.  
“Anyway, you shouldn’t go empty-handed when you face the Emperor. Your idea is sound, but I believe you could use a little bit of extra help.”

Shortly after, she lifts something up from the bag, and reaches out with it for them both to see. For Meetra, it is surprisingly familiar, while Scourge remains bemused.  
The red and dark grey mask is something which has a lot of different connotations in many parts of the galaxy, but for the Empire, it is still fairly unknown. It mostly appears old and worn out.  
“What is this? A mask?”

“The mask of Revan. It was used to fight and defeat the mandalorians, to battle the Emperor and bring destruction to the Republic. I…don’t have much use for it anymore, but maybe it could help you.”

Scourge reaches out to take it, holding it in his hand and feeling its rather light weight. It was probably once a fairly intimidating and awe-inspiring sight, but now, it seems more like a relic of the past.  
“A bit of a strange request. What good would this do?” 

“It will make for a good symbolic gesture. Vitiate knows it very well by now, and if you give it to him, it will show that you took it from me. It might prove that I am not as powerful as what Vitiate may have believed. On top of that, it will also display your own prowess, strength and value to the Emperor, for being able to take it from me.” 

Realization begins to shimmer through his irises now and he grips it a bit tighter, and then bows his head in respect towards her.  
“Your assessment is reasonable and I appreciate it. I will do as you say.” 

“Good. It will give you a better opportunity than you had before, trust me.”

He lets his gaze wander upon its surface for a while longer, making him question all that it has seen. Scars and scratches roam across its length, granting hints to the struggles that it has endured up until this point. It is almost a shame that it won’t be more than a trophy now.

“I agree. For now, however, I believe it’s best if you get some of your energy back, while Surik finds your two companions. I suggest you prepare to leave within an hour or two, before the Emperor reacts to our arrival.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I don't know why I'm invested so much in the tragic friendship of Raekah and Malak/Alek, but I am. I'll touch upon this in a later chapter._


	23. Separate potentials

The homecoming to Telos IV turns out to be an ambiguous one. Most of those who were waiting show various signs of being pleased that their friends got back safely and without any major injuries. Upon arrival, Raekah was almost tacked to the floor by Bastila hugging her, and while Visas embraced Meetra as well, it was somewhat more muted, but the latter enjoyed it a lot regardless. Worried questions and troubled expressions had been sighted, but it was postponed for a while, to let them get used to being around friends and safety once more.

After a short meal, the entire group gathers up in one of the meeting rooms, sitting down by a table with pillows on the floor and letting Meetra and Raekah tell the others all what they’ve seen during this journey. Nothing is hidden or kept secret, as everything from the events before Nathema, to the short stay on Dromund Kaas, is explained.  
Most of the team sits silently for a while after the duo is done, feeling a sense of trepidation and concern, as it could be perceived as some rather heavy stuff to absorb.

It’s eventually Mira who feels the need to say something, when no one else wants to. She clears her throat to begin with.  
“Well, uh, that was certainly not what we expected, huh?”

A few of them nods, but Bastila turns to look directly at Raekah.  
“Are you alright?”

Raekah turns her eyes towards her wife and while it does seem like the other woman tries not to get all too protective while they’re among the others, she has difficulties hiding the visual signs. Bastila knows more than anyone about what she must’ve endured.  
Trying to calm her down, Raekah offers a smile in return.  
“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I was taken care of by those around me.”  
She glances at her companion to the side.  
“Meetra can be pretty good at it sometimes, when she really tries to.”

The other Jedi arches a brow and smirks in her friend’s direction.  
“Excuse me? Is that a jab at my skills?”

Raekah smiles, trying to look as innocent as possible.  
“Well, no, of course not. Would I ever imply such a thing?”

“Yes, you definitely would! You just did! Otherwise, you wouldn’t have used the term ‘sometimes’!”

Raekah doesn’t respond audibly, merely winking back at her.  
While the actual argument isn’t of interest to the rest of the group, Bastila at least feels somewhat relieved that the two of them can mess around, which enhances the idea of them being alright, despite their experiences.  
However, now that the silence is broken, those around the table believes they can get back to the matter at hand.

“This whole situation sounds impossible”, Atton says, while folding his arms.  
“How the hell are we supposed to succeed against this Emperor bastard? I thought one Empire was bad enough…”  
He shakes his head.  
“Do you two actually have a plan?”

Meetra and Raekah share a gaze, and while the former clears her throat, the latter diverts her eyes to the table.  
“Well”, Meetra starts. “I guess that depends how you define ‘plan’.”

Raekah nods curtly.  
“It has been difficult to consider how we should tackle it. The sensations and emotions which ran through us on Dromund Kaas, at least made it rather clear to us that we can’t go the same path which we’ve done so far.  
This is why we decided to come back here, hoping to find another side of this issue. From all of our internal estimates, a straightforward fight against him does seem quite unlikely to succeed.”

On her side, Meetra shakes her head at the idea.  
“Yeah, I wouldn’t wanna test ourselves against him, after your last attempt. Besides, there’s probably enough Sith around for us to have difficulties with smuggling all of ourselves through their borders. We can’t risk Scourge’s position all too much.”

Bastila gives them a look of concern again.  
“That’s another thing I wanted to ask about, this…Scourge. Can we really trust him?”

For Raekah, it was almost expected that Bastila would be the first to question their new ally.  
“From all that we’ve seen so far, I believe we can. He has shown to be dependable.”

“For now, yes, but how long will that last?”

Meetra shrugs slightly.  
“Hey, he got us into the heart of the Empire, without taking a scratch, and took us out of it, just as safely. That has to count for something.”

“It could all have been a ploy to win your trust”, Visas points out, seemingly agreeing with Bastila.

Raekah raises a hand to stroke a few fingers along her chin.  
“That isn’t impossible, of course, as he seemed to be in control of himself, virtually all the time. However, I still feel that’s unlikely.”

“Yeah, I agree”, says Meetra. “However, I believe it’s probably a good idea to keep an eye on him. Don’t think neither me nor Raekah felt entirely comfortable while we were there.  
And hey, we don’t necessarily need to reveal every bit of our plans to him either.”

Her words bring up a reasonable point, which at least partially soothes both Visas and Bastila’s worries.  
It’s not just the main parts of Meetra’s old team which is here, as Atris has joined them as well. She does appear to be in a bit of discomfort, but shows some interest in the discussion.  
“You said it would be impossible to face this Sith Emperor, but are you really sure you’ve considered every outcome?”

While Raekah arches one of her brows questioningly, she doesn’t say anything, as she instead lets Meetra handle it.  
“What do you mean?”

“If this…’Scourge’ aims to aid us, then surely he could think of some way to let us all enter. In the previous attempt, there were only two of you. Would a Sith really survive a fight against a dozen Jedi?”

It doesn’t surprise them that Atris would doubt Raekah’s skills and while Meetra glances uncertainly towards her friend, Raekah herself merely sighs at first.  
“Look, I understand why you would question it, but I don’t think you fully comprehend.  
When me and Ale-“ she halts in the middle of her sentence and shakes her head, “Malak fought against him, it wasn’t like we didn’t evaluate him at the same time. We could see and analyze his strengths, as well as his lack of obvious weaknesses. With the power between the two of us, he didn’t appear even remotely worried or strained.  
To us, he was an impenetrable bulwark, and I seriously doubt that numbers will increase our chances. It’s not pure power or strength which will win here, that much seems clear to me.”

Atris frowns and folds her arms, grumbling to herself.  
“Well, that’s what happens to a duo of overly hasty rogue Jedi…”

However, despite trying not to be heard, Brianna still does, as she sits right next to Atris and is definitely not pleased with it.  
“Don’t be so quick to make assumptions. It may have been foolish of them not to take any aid, but they are still powerful in their own right. We should trust master Raekah’s judgement.”

When Atris rolls her eyes, Meetra smirks, finding Brianna’s commanding tone and show of wisdom to be amusing and refreshing.  
“This may be true”, Bastila interjects, “but there is a reasonable point in such criticism as well.  
Raekah, I don’t want you rushing in there anymore, like you did before. It was dangerous enough what you five attempted to do during this trip, and any future scouting missions, or whatever you would wish to call them, would be seriously foolish.”

Raekah inclines her head.  
“Don’t worry, I actually happen to agree with you this time. Like I said, we’ll have to approach this scenario differently.”

Bastila arches her brow skeptically.  
“…’this time’?”

She hears how her wife clears her throat.  
“Uh, well, I…wasn’t trying to insinuate anything else, of course. I agree with most of your assessments.”

Meetra glances between them, finding this position to be even more amusing, but that disperses rather soon.  
“This goes for you as well, Meetra”, Visas remarks.

Meetra blinks and looks at her girlfriend.  
“…what?”

“You are also too quick to rush off and I don’t want you to do it again.”

“But…hey, this wasn’t even my plan! Raekah was the one who wanted to go.”

“And you did not stop her. In fact, you came with her and did everything to follow her wishes.”

Meetra coughs slightly and raises a hand to scratch at her neck.  
“Uh, not necessarily with everything, but…you know, it was a reasonable plan at the same time.”

Visas don’t usually tend to look particularly amused, but if she would attempt to be even more unamused, this would be one of those times.  
“But it won’t happen again.”

Not being able to stay serious for too long, Meetra begins to laugh and raises her hands defensively.  
“I wasn’t suggesting that it would! Seriously, I wouldn’t want to worry you all too much. You’ll get angry.”

“Yes, I definitely will.”

Brianna folds her arms and turns towards Meetra.  
“Master, don’t you think it would be possible to bring the Republic into this scenario as well? It seems difficult to consider the idea of us as Jedi doing this all alone.”

Meetra gives her a thoughtful gaze, raising a hand to scratch the tip of her nose.  
“We’ve thought about it and it’s definitely tempting, but…not sure that would be wise.”

Raekah nods in agreement.  
“We would absolutely consider it at another time, but as of right now, it wouldn’t be a smart move.  
Telling the Republic, even the leaders among them, has the potential to spread panic rather quickly and it’s very plausible that a group with such power could do something very foolish.”

“We might need aid in the future”, Meetra continues, “but for now, me and Raekah are on the same page here – it might bring war against the Empire, and that would be disastrous. They’re just not ready. Not after everything that has happened during the past few decades.”

That makes Raekah pause for a moment, as she contemplates the things which has occurred, and of course, those responsible.  
“And if you consider the fact that the Emperor is at full strength, backed up by the Empire’s vast amounts of fleets and soldiers, we’re looking at a catastrophe unlike anything before. Even worse than when…well, when I attacked them.”

Another bit of silence inhabits the room at that point, as uncertainty spreads among the group. Most of those present tend to trust in the judgement of either of these two women, but without any hope given, that builds a lack of confidence.  
Bao-Dur has been silent during most of the conversation so far, but gets the attention as he begins to speak.

“I might have a suggestion, if you don’t mind.”

Raekah watches him momentarily and then inclines her head approvingly.  
“Go ahead.”

“Well, so far, we have merely spoken of potentials for defeating the Emperor in some fashion, by killing him. Perhaps that is not necessary.  
Like you, I am not entirely sure that would even be possible, but what could be a reasonable alternative, is to weaken him.”

The group seems to consider his thoughts to themselves for a bit, except for Atris, who looks at him skeptically.  
“What? How would that be any more possible than fighting him outright?”

“Because fighting is not always the best solution, and in this case, it doesn’t even seem feasible. However, I believe that containment might be an option.”

Meetra leans forward, resting an arm on the table.  
“Containment? Of what kind?”

“Through the millennia, there has been all sorts of cultures using or understanding the Force in various ways. Some societies have incorporated or otherwise combined the Force with technology. I have read the reports of the Star Forge, for example, and how the rakata utilized theirs, but they are far from the only ones.  
Like them, many of those have failed or fallen afterwards. However, our goal wouldn’t necessarily be to implement it into the Republic, but simply use it against our enemy.”

“How?”

“From the few historical and technical articles that I’ve read on the HoloNet and in a few archives, there appears to have been an understanding of the Force among some, that it can be operated in more ways than either the Jedi or the Sith have done during their existence. I have even seen certain theories which mentions how some potentially knew how to contain or maybe even drain the Force from certain objects or people.”

Meetra and Raekah both widen their eyes in surprise.  
“And you think that’s possible with the Emperor?”, the latter asks.

He nods curtly.  
“I believe so, yes. The difficulty would be, of course, not just to find actual remnants of what they did, but work out how to operate it.”

Raekah glances down towards the table, gaining a distance to her eyes.  
“Like how I did with the Star Forge…”

“Precisely.”

Mira clears her throat.  
“Uh, not to be like…clueless or anything, but what exactly was this ‘Star Forge’?”

As Raekah looks a little bit uncomfortable, Bastila turns towards Mira instead. She doesn’t like the idea of thinking back on those times either, but her knowledge is needed.  
“The Star Forge was a type of…space station, I suppose it could be classified as, which operated as both a power source, as well as a shipyard. It was a creation of the rakata, an ancient civilization which drew energy from stars in order to power itself and bring out almost an endless amount of ships, droids and other dangerous weapons.  
It contained an immense amount of dark side energy as well, which affected everything within.”

Raekah shakes her head and closes her eyes.  
“It was…fascinating when me and Malak first found it, to see how far these people had experimented upon the Force and achieved such lengths in their technological levels. Unfortunately, it was also immensely dangerous. Even when I led my Empire, I did not want to stay inside of it for too long. It had very destructive capabilities and consequences.”

“This may be true”, Bao-Dur admits, “but the rakata were far from the only ones who ever tried to combine the Force with tech. Not all of them touched upon the dark side of the Force either, and I believe we should keep our minds open, so that we can learn. It would be a very useful tool.”

Atris folds her arms, not looking pleased with these assumptions.  
“It sounds far too hasty to me. Look at how many of those civilizations fell in the past. This is the exact reason why Jedi do not operate in the same way, because the Force must be handled delicately.”

Bao-Dur nods slightly.  
“You’re not wrong per se, Atris, but the Jedi have never been perfect. I don’t believe that a civil war would’ve occurred if that was the case.”

“That…that was the fault of a few-“

“A few rogues? Perhaps, but they were raised and formed by the Jedi Order, which held several flaws within its tenets. These civilizations, including the rakata, were never perfect either, but I did not say we need to emulate them, only learn and possibly gain an advantage.  
It’s at least worth a shot at investigating, isn’t it?”

Atris glares at him for a moment, but she holds her tongue, as she doesn’t have any specific complaints.  
Meetra inclines her head towards him.  
“You’re right, I think it is and we should probably start on this track for now. I feel like it’s the only good-…well, the _only_ idea we’ve had so far.  
At the same time, though, as we’ve just started talking about it, I believe it’s reasonable to consider alternatives and see what we can find. It’s not like we have to limit ourselves. We can use any help or strengths against this guy.”

Raekah seems to agree with the assessment, and then snorts amusedly while she looks at the zabrak.  
“It appears we will have to rely on your brilliance again, Bao-Dur.”

He smiles back at her.  
“I am simply glad that I’m able to assist my Supreme Commander and General once more. It has been a while now.  
Naturally, I do hope things turn out somewhat differently this time around.”

Both Raekah and Meetra look satisfied with his words, similarly happy to have him by their side.  
Shortly after, Raekah sweeps the area, giving each of the group a brief survey.  
“You know, just a few years ago, I would’ve never believed that I’d be sitting here. I…lost faith in the Jedi, and their capabilities.”  
She turns her gaze to the table and Bastila watches her wife while biting her lower lip, wanting to reach out, but remains where she is.  
“My concerns may not have been easy to solve and perhaps they’re not the only ones to blame, but I feel their flaws is what eventually led to the old Order falling.”

After taking a deep breath, she lifts her head again and displays a genuinely pleased smile.  
“However, talking with each of you, hearing of your accomplishments, backgrounds, talents…I see a new potential in this group. It has given me hope, unlike anything I would’ve anticipated.  
I think that this team might be able to grow into something far more interesting, and go beyond our previous flaws.  
Maybe we can succeed against Vitiate, after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Meetra and Visas aren't entirely done with their little thing, by the way. You'll see more next week._


	24. Why the heart crumbles

For the entire day after the discussion of how to counteract the influence of Vitiate, most of the Jedi are put into different positions and set to work on trying to find out what they want to accomplish and what they need to search for in order to find alternative solutions. Then, of course, there were a few also put on helping Bao-Dur out, as his research is now their foremost route towards success.

In this day after, Meetra wanders through the halls of the enclave, on her way towards a specific training room. For several hours now, she and Visas has not had much time to talk or discuss how either of them feel about the progress that was made, nor the path they’re forced to take now. Meetra figures it’s what her girlfriend might’ve wanted to focus on at this time, but meeting at the training room gives her completely different assumptions. Oh well, whatever she aims to do, it’ll probably be interesting.

As the automatic door quietly slides open for her, she’s met by a sight further in, as Visas already seems to have begun. The miraluka stands in the middle, on one of the sparring mats, holding a training saber in her hand. Meetra only takes a few steps inside and decides to remain silent while observing, as Visas moves around through various stances. Every swing of the weapon, every way her body or head angles, every step she redirects, appears very deliberate to Meetra, and it’s both fascinating and exhilarating to watch.

While her concentration and precision is something to admire, Meetra finds herself getting seriously affected by the physical aspect as well. Visas has always been beautiful to her, not just in her grace, but in the strength she displays, and her unyielding confidence. Seeing her in combat can sometimes be even more effective to get Meetra going than simply watching her dressed in something suggestive. They are both warriors and instead of trying to deny that, Meetra prefers to revel in it. Visas may not say anything about it, but she knows how her beloved appreciates it nonetheless. 

The current act only goes on for about a minute or so, until Visas eventually stops, gets up into a straighter position and turns to face Meetra.  
“Hello”, she states plainly. 

Meetra smiles at her companion and folds her arms.  
“Hey. Sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt what you were doing.”

Visas inclines her head.  
“That is fine.”

Turning towards the wall, Meetra sees how Visas wanders closer to some of the other training tools in here, and she doesn’t seem ready to say anything else. This briefly gets to the human, but she clears her throat, and figures it’s best if she does. Awkward silences do tend to happen at times.  
“So, uh, what did you wanna talk about?”

Meetra comes a bit closer as Visas appears to walk in between the various weapons, deciding which to take. It makes Meetra wonder if she intends to continue doing her exercises, or if she has something else in mind. Perhaps she needs a bit of time to decide how to start.  
None of this proves to be correct, however, as she soon uses the Force to grab ahold of a duo of training blades from their stands and throws them over towards Meetra, letting them land on her chest.  
Obviously, Meetra takes them, but she also looks confused.

“Uh…what do I need these for?”

“We are going to spar.” 

Meetra arches her brow confusedly.  
“Eh…what? Why?” 

“Do I need a reason for it?”

It’s hard at times to read Visas, depending on her expression and tone, because they both tend to be very even, but as it appears like Visas is somewhat shutting her out mentally as well, there is something going on. Best to play along.  
“Alright then. I suppose it could be useful to work out for a while, if you insist.”

“I do.”

Holding her blades in one hand, Meetra takes off the cloth coat she was wearing and exposes her arms instead, which gives her better maneuverability.  
“Do I get any time to stretch first?”

“You did that earlier.” 

That brings an amused hint to Meetra’s expression and she tilts her head curiously.  
“Made sure to check me out during that time, did you?”

However, Visas does not reveal any other sentiment for now.  
“Are you prepared?”

Her smile diminishes somewhat and questions swirl around her mind, ones which she hopes to direct towards the miraluka.  
“Yeah, sure. Let’s do it.”

Visas, with her double-bladed weapon, is the first one to act as she launches herself at Meetra, bringing her into a defensive stance. These weapons, for the most part, don’t have any particularly damaging aspect to them, except a few minor shocks which are mostly there to warn the ones hit of the possible pain that could be inflicted. They do have a fairly satisfying hissing and crashing sound to them, however, whenever the blades collide, which they do here at this time, as the two women can hold a fairly even fight.

For a time, it’s simple and straightforward, as both of them merely get into a pattern of where and what to go for, before they increase their speed and brings up the difficulty.  
Despite the entire process being quite muted, that’s the actual prospect which worries Meetra. And, once Visas opens her mouth in the middle of the fight, she realizes that she must’ve been correct.  
“It was reckless of you go to Dromund Kaas like that.” 

Ah, and here they go. She knew they’d somehow have to start at this point.  
“I think you said this already yesterday.”

Visas ducks beneath one of Meetra’s counterattacks and then tries to make a flanking strike, which the latter parries.  
“It needs to be said more than once. I wonder what would have even made you think that was a wise conclusion.”

Meetra sighs and rolls her eyes.  
“What? C’mon, I told you at the meeting, didn’t I? It wasn’t my plan. Raekah insisted that we had to go.” 

“That may be true, but how much did you question her judgement? Did you provide any opposition to the plan whatsoever?”

Without giving any indications to it, Visas now appears to increase the speed even further, which surprises Meetra a bit. It’s not enough to overwhelm her, but it seems clear that a point is being made. Whether it’s the right way to do it, is debatable.  
“Hey, I…I tried to discuss it first! I didn’t just let her mow me down.”

“No? And how long did you discuss this? Half a minute?”

Meetra diverts her eyes elsewhere.  
“Well, you know, I…guess I didn’t count the exact number of seconds or anything.”

Visas lips tightens somewhat and when Meetra is distracted, she takes the opportunity to find a gap in the defenses, lightly hitting her side. Meetra displays some surprise, before she sighs and sees how the miraluka steps back.  
“You were sloppy and careless.”

“You distracted me!”

Visas shakes her head briefly.  
“I meant with your actions of going to the Sith world.” 

Meetra stops for a moment, still keeping her eyes in a drifting state. She seems skeptical, not really sure how to explain without making Visas worried.  
“Look, we didn’t just decide to walk in there without a plan. I mean sure, it wasn’t the most brilliant and intricate one, but we definitely had an idea of what to do.  
And what we did was necessary for the greater good.”

“Necessary? How could it possibly be required of you to walk right into imminent and active danger?” 

Gathering some of her courage, she redirects her eyes towards Visas.  
“You know why. We had to find out what had happened on that world, when Raekah last tried to infiltrate it. You heard what she said about that fight, right? If we hadn’t gone, we would never know how truly dangerous he is.” 

Visas stares at her, seemingly fidgeting a bit with her weapon for a few moments in silence.  
“Perhaps”, she eventually admits, “but the way you chose to approach it was not the right one. You should’ve been more cautious.”

Meetra shrugs and spreads her arms questioningly.  
“How? What, beg the Republic to give us some resources or something?”

“Not necessarily. Are you saying it would be an impossibility to head back to Telos first, and discuss it with the rest of us?”

She sees how Meetra’s shoulders slumps slightly, as she shakes her head.  
“Well…no, of course. We just…didn’t have the time.”

“How could you not have had time? There was no timer ticking down, no deadline which to race ahead of. You had the chance to come back here before trying anything reckless, but you didn’t take it.”

She figured Visas wouldn’t quite understand. Then again, who does? Dealing with Raekah is never something as clear and precise, at least not when it comes to Meetra.  
“If you look at it that way, sure, but it’s never that simple, you know? Raekah can be very…persuasive. I can’t refuse her request.  
Besides, it was much easier for a small group to infiltrate and find information, than if we had brought all of you.”

“That does not mean the rest of us could not have found some other use. We could have tried to approach this dilemma from several angles, or had one group observe from orbit, while the rest went through on the surface level. You never gave us a chance to look into it.”

Meetra begins to pace slowly across the floor, feeling a bit stupid when not thinking from that angle. However, she also knows how much she trusts Raekah’s judgement, but is it more than anyone else? That’s probably the important question.  
“I know that, but sometimes, you just have to trust your own gut and that’s what we decided to do in this occasion.”

She may not notice it, but Visas grips her blades somewhat tighter, exposing some of her mental state.  
“And that gave you the right to endanger yourself with abandon? To simply disregard a lot of what we have accomplished up until now?”, she says, voice still kept even.

The accusation surprises Meetra somewhat, and she looks at her with a confused gaze.  
“What? But…I’ve done dangerous shit before, some of them far worse than what we experienced on Dromund Kaas.”

“Yes, I know that very well.”

Meetra raises a brow questioningly.  
“Excuse me? What’s with that tone?”

Visas chooses not to answer, but instead raises her weapons again, forcing Meetra to desperately defend herself. As the fighting resumes, she feels a little bit frustrated and not just because of the type of things Visas is saying, but also due to the miraluka increasing the velocity and power behind each blow. Not to a substantial degree, but still enough that she doesn’t seem to be messing around. Meetra has to work more and harder to keep up, unless she wishes to turn the fight around completely.  
Has she misunderstood parts of this situation? She had expected some arguing, but not that she would somehow manage to actually piss Visas off.

“Then what kind of result will come out of this? What will happen in the future?”, Visas asks.

Blocking two quick strikes, Meetra swiftly spins around afterwards, to avoid another.  
“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Visas is not slow with an attempt to pursue her girlfriend, no matter where she escapes.  
“Do you aim to continue being reckless like this?”

Meetra grits her teeth as she has to parry again, but this time, she doesn’t wait around too much and pushes back, eventually managing to shove Visas away momentarily.  
“Why do you keep saying I’m reckless? This wasn’t done without consideration at all, you know. We took several precautions before we went in.”

“Far from enough. If you had truly prepared yourselves, Raekah would not have fainted like she did.”

She gets a frustrated groan from Meetra in return.  
“Oh, c’mon! That’s not even fair! How should we have tried to prevent Raekah getting a vision that would knock her out? No one could’ve foreseen it!”

“And how would you know? If anyone, Bastila would’ve known best, but you did not confer with her whatsoever.  
What if this was simply a plan of Scourge’s all along? What if this would’ve meant that you had gotten captured?”

Now that Meetra have sort of started her counteroffensive, things are far more even, but that doesn’t mean that Visas seems ready to stay back or occasionally lash out. In fact, a lot more chaos is created in the middle.  
“That wouldn’t have happened! Didn’t you listen earlier? We interrogated the guy beforehand and we knew what we were doing. There was no way he could’ve hidden anything substantial from us.”

“I disagree. Do you know the full extent of Vitiate’s power? Do you know what he’s capable of? Is it too far-fetched to believe that he could’ve simply blocked off any of your tricks, without being noticed and lure you in? If he is so strong on the physical plane, then it sounds obvious to me that his mental levels are astounding.”

Meetra frowns, feeling how her body begins to push its limits somewhat and attempts to truly hammer into Visas. She doesn’t actually go so far as to hurt her, but the battle between them creates an unexpected maelstrom.  
“Don’t you trust our judgement at all, Visas? Do you really have that low opinion of my ability to handle missions on my own?”

Feeling herself getting on the verge of being overwhelmed, Visas creates some distant between them, holding her weapon up still and waits.  
“I do trust you, as I always have. There has never been a moment where I don’t believe in you, but that does not mean I can’t worry as well. It is not the point here anyhow.”

“Then what is the fucking point?!”

Visas releases a quick sigh.  
“There is always the potential of something unexpected happening, especially when you choose to take risks above what is needed. You might’ve gotten yourself killed.”

Meetra shakes her head, remaining where she is, but keeping her grip quite tightly on her weapons.  
“Oh yeah, sure, you don’t distrust me, huh? And yet you think I’m so useless that I can't even fight something dangerous without getting killed."

Finally, Visas raises her voice to a degree high enough to almost be yelling, which is quite a rare occasion.  
“I simply don’t think that you understand how important you are! The Jedi cannot lose either of you! You are too important to us.”

“The Jedi can’t lose us or _you_ can’t lose _me?_ Don’t pretend this is about anyone else than your own feelings.”  
Visas gets somewhat tenser at this time, opening her mouth to respond, but she has nothing valuable to express. Instead of saying anything, she gradually lowers her weapons and turns to face the floor instead. This makes Meetra sigh and mirror her arm movement at least.  
“Look, I know what it’s like for you, okay? I don’t ignore your concerns nor your arguments, but you have to admit that it’s nothing but your feelings at stake here. And you know what? I would never blame you for that.”

Visas lips tightens again for a moment, while she fidgets with the hilt of her blade once more, not quite knowing what to do with herself.  
“It…seemed to me as if you had forgotten our conversation. I explained quite thoroughly what I felt before, but you ignored it.”

“How could I have? And I didn’t ignore anything. In fact, didn’t we decide what had to be done at that point?”

In return, she hears how Visas exhales heavily, before dropping her weapon to the floor.  
“Yes, you’re right, we did. And I believed I had made up my mind of what to do, but when I heard how you went to Dromund Kaas, without even giving us a chance to express our own worries, it…it simply erupted in me. I could not ignore it.” 

Meetra watches her for a moment, all traces of frustration and annoyance slipping away, being replaced by sympathy. She strides closer to Visas now, where she stands by one of the walls.  
“Hey, I’m sorry, okay? I never intended to bring you this much anxiety. I know how foolish this might have seemed and I probably should’ve taken your feelings into account, but it was just…everything was happening so quickly and that forced me to focus on the situation we had in front of us.”

“I realize that, but you can’t expect me to ignore it when you endanger yourself like this. I could not do it in the past and I certainly won’t now.”

Meetra eventually reaches her, holding both of her weapons in one hand and then raises the other up to Visas’ cheek.  
“I know, but…certain risks need to be taken. How else are we going to make this work? I won’t be able to live with you, unless we deal with everything that gets between us.”

Visas fully lifts her head up to face Meetra and while there are no eyes to see, it’s still very evident how her gaze is held at the other woman.  
Meetra is about to say something else, when Visas suddenly grabs ahold of her collar, forcefully drags her around and tackles her into the wall, albeit not painfully so. Before she has a chance to make any questions, Visas’ lips come crashing against hers in such speed, and with such passion, that she drops her weapons. For a moment, she simply lets her girlfriend do as she wishes, knowing that the touch speaks for itself and expresses all that either of them requires.  
Shortly after, Meetra eventually slips her arms around the waist and pulls her even closer.

This type of embrace isn’t entirely unusual, as they often express their emotions physically, when the mental or verbal simply isn’t enough, but what startles her is the determination which lingers behind it this time. The kiss of promise last time didn’t have the same desperation underneath, and perhaps makes it all the more evident how necessary it is for her.  
They lose sight of how long time passes, when Visas finally allows them to breathe, separating their lips by no more than a few centimeters. Meetra gradually opens her eyes, to face Visas' veil.

“Well, that was…”, she starts, before clearing her throat, “that was certainly different.”

“You are my everything”, Visas states evenly, but with an underlying firm tone.

“I…I know. And I’m not going away.” 

Visas offers one of her faint and rare smiles, leaning closer to nudge their noses together, while Meetra continues to embrace her.  
“Perhaps, but that will not make me stop worrying about the circumstances.” 

“Heh, maybe that’s for the best, huh?”

For a few moments, Visas remains silent, simply staring at her, so to speak, before she seems to take a deep breath, preparing herself for something specific.  
“If certain things were to happen in the future, which would make me consider accepting the role of Grand Master – and that is certainly quite a major _IF_ – I shall have to contemplate restricting your foolhardiness in some way.”

At first, Meetra looks surprised that Visas would be ready to even contemplate it, before she tilts her head backwards and emits a laugh. Visas can’t help but blush when she does.  
“So, you’d only consider being our leader to keep me at home, huh? Guess I should’ve expected as much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _So, did I write this entire chapter, just so I could have Visas say that last thing?_   
>  _No comment. YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING_
> 
> _And I hear what you're telling me now. "Claire, what about Bastila and Raekah? Will they get their moment too?"_   
>  _As I am a generous little shit, yes, we shall have a BastyRae chapter next week. It won't be super happy, though, but somewhat emotional, I think._   
>  _Hmm...that's probably not a great ship name. I'll work on it._


	25. A master's toll

_“Revan.”_

The distant and echoing voice reaches her ears and she reacts, eyes flickering as she opens them, trying to establish its location. For a short time, Raekah isn’t sure whether she simply imagined it, or if it came from too far away for her to properly recognize the speaker. The darkness around her makes it difficult to determine where she is, but it would seem likely that she has entered some kind of room.  
Once her eyes adjust to the darkness, however, there’s something which immediately gets her attention, to a somewhat disturbing degree. She isn’t sure whether it is her gaze or the surroundings themselves, but everything has a slightly grainy appearance, which would be an error either way. Is there something affecting her mind, perhaps?

It does not take long for her to ignore this aspect, as she understands how her previous assumption was incorrect. It is not a room, but a corridor she stands in, or perhaps a crossroads would be the more appropriate term.  
Currently, she’s in the middle, with four paths reaching out into different direction. While they’re dark and empty at first, if she peers deeper into each one, a distant light appears further inside, with none of them looking quite the same. She spots colors of gold, silver, purple and copper, which doesn’t really help her much. Is she supposed to understand what they mean? Do they carry a different significance somehow, and does every route lead to a separate area?

As she stands there, faltering in her decision, something else gets her attention. The sound of footsteps can be heard from behind, which makes her body momentarily freeze and she swallows without thinking.  
Combating her fear, she forces herself to turn around and face the oncoming entity, whether she wants to or not.

“It is quite a dilemma, isn’t it? Every thought, every choice has a different consequence and after making one, you are faced with another and then another. They pile on top of each other, at first slowly, but then gradually increase in a speed which can reach frightening degrees. While you attempt to maintain some kind of order, everything has already drifted too far away and you are not ready for its overwhelming result.”

The voice does not originate from the body itself, but from everywhere around them. It is familiar to her, just as much as the dark robes, the surprisingly average height and, of course, the sensation her mind gives her. His clothes may cover his appearance, but she does need it to herald his approach.  
“Vitiate.”

He continues to walk forward, which makes her instinctively take a few steps back.  
“I will admit that it was fascinating to see your return to Dromund Kaas. I highly doubted the possibility that you would dare come to my side once more and while you did not quite reach the full destination, as it was a far briefer visit this time, it is definitely intriguing to believe that you wished to make the attempt.”  
She frowns at him, but doesn’t say anything in return.  
“Oh yes, I noticed your arrival, dear Revan. How could I not? Something so immense, which floats so effortlessly through the Force, also sends ripples through its length. Most cannot detect it, but you already know I am beyond their measures.”  
Shortly after, he also snorts amusedly.  
“Ah, and then there was your companion. Quite an interesting one, isn’t she? I never would’ve believed you’d associate with someone of such caliber, someone who wades through the void, just as I, albeit with far less skillful and deliberate actions.”

Something tells her that she shouldn’t be surprised to hear that he knew everything, probably watching them in some way.  
“If you knew we were there, why did you not stop us?”

Vitiate eventually halts in his current position, a few meters away from Raekah, and seems to content to be there. They’re both technically in the same place, lingering in the middle of the crossroads.  
“Why would I? My interest does not extend to preventing you from roaming. It would hinder your growth.”

“My…growth?”

“Indeed. It was part of what I investigated when you came to my world once more, to see if anything had changed for my investments. It would appear I was right, even though it did not quite flourish in the way I might’ve hoped. You’ve certainly grown past several mental stages.  
Unfortunately, I have to say that your power has not reached the potential which it is truly capable of, despite what I had foreseen.”

Raekah folds her arms and shakes her head.  
“You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want your power.”

“Are you sure? The offer I gave you years ago still stands.”

“Yeah, and I wouldn’t even give it a second thought, now more than ever. I may not be a Jedi anymore, but you are a disease upon this galaxy, Vitiate, a parasite that keeps eating away at it and I will never allow myself to be your pawn.”

He chuckles slightly and begins to circle along the edges of the middle area, which she mirrors on the other side.  
“Pawn? You seem to have misunderstood your purpose. When have I ever said I wanted another slave?”

“You think I’m stupid? That’s all you ever want and all you ever try to achieve. I’ve seen your Imperial Guard, your servants, your entire Empire. And they don’t even know, do they? One day, they’ll all end up the same way as Nathema.”

For a moment, the darkness of his cowl disperses slightly, allowing her to see the lower part of his face and his red skin, as he smiles.  
“Don’t compare yourself to them, Revan. They can never reach your levels, nor have they ever intrigued me as you have. They are a seed for the future, but you are a much direr investment.  
Please, allow me to demonstrate.”

She gasps for a moment, as she feels how something pokes from within her head. She wouldn’t quite know how to describe it, but the best way may be like thin grasping threads, trying to encapsulate her interior. It makes her grit her teeth and shut her eyes sharply, raising a hand to touch her temples.  
“S…stop.”

“It will only take a moment. Stay still and I shall make it painless.”

“I said…stop!”

She tries to fight against it, finding some way to tear herself away from the grip of things which continuously appear from the darkness, surrounding her, despite the resistance.  
However, this struggle does not last for long as, to Vitiate’s surprise, she forcefully ejects his attempt and puts up a barrier around her own mind. It is now his turn to step back.  
While one might expect for him to be angry over it, he simply chuckles instead.

“Marvelous! Not at all what I had anticipated, but certainly intriguing. Such resistance as you’re showing now is a good first step. Perhaps I was wrong about the lack of adequate growth.”

Raekah’s hands are now both clenched and she glares at him, practically with burning emotions.  
“I will _never_ be your puppet. When you first tried to take me, I did not fully give in, no matter how much you tried. It might be true that I was misled and I won’t deny it, but it won’t change who I am, nor what I want. You can’t win in that sense, Emperor.”

Once more, his appearance descends into darkness and he is now practically just a set of walking robes in her eyes, with a hidden power beneath.  
“As you wish. You may continue to struggle and find your own way, but it won’t stop the inevitable.  
You know what is coming, don’t you? There is only one obvious choice for you to make, and yet you keep ignoring the possibilities.”  
He then extends his hand towards her.  
“Accept the gifts in front of you now, or find yourself descending into oblivion. How can you save all that surrounds you, when you are as helpless as they?”

While she glares at him for a few more moments, something else gets her attention. Just behind him, along one of the corridors, she sees how a darkness forms at the edge of the golden light. It appears as black spots from within, which swirls around and quickly gains more and more territory, devouring the light. When she turns her eyes in another direction, trying to check each of the other corridors, they all display the same result.  
In front of her, Vitiate spreads his arms, not so much for an anticipated embrace, but as a sign.

“Choose your path in the crossroads of the void, Revan, for it does not matter. There is only one reality.”

The last thing she hears before the blackened waves washes over her, is his echoing laughter, consuming her almost in the same way as the darkness. The future beckons.  
  


* * *

  
In a much less intimate darkness, Raekah swiftly gets into a sitting position, as she awakens with a gasp. Almost immediately after, she feels herself breathing heavily and her heart pumping fiercely. She grasps her chest, just to make sure that she’s here really here and untainted, and thankfully, nothing has changed as she finds herself in her bedroom.

Very closely after her awakening, she feels movement to the side and Bastila appears next to her. She’s in her nightclothes, just as Raekah. One might assume that she awoke due to the noise, but the gasp wasn’t very loud. It seems more likely that she might’ve felt something.  
Sliding closer to her wife, Bastila takes her hand and holds it tightly, as her brow furrows with worry.  
“Rae, are you alright? What happened?”

While allowing Bastila to hold one of her hands, she uses the other to rub at her eyes and wipe some of the sweat away, which pours down her forehead. She tries to deny it, but his influence definitely lingers.  
“It’s…it’s nothing.”

“Nothing? You’re drenched.”

“I just…I had a nightmare, that’s all.”

She tries her best to say it with conviction, but it doesn’t seem to bite. Bastila’s mind is not particularly eased and she raises a hand to place it on Raekah’s cheek, touching it gently.  
“It was…it was him, wasn’t it? Must’ve been.”

“What? N-no, I was erm, I was just having a bad dream about-“

Bastila sighs and caresses her wife’s cheek gently to interrupt her.  
“There’s no point in denying it, Rae. There isn’t much you can say to convince me differently from what I can clearly sense.”  
Raekah is still panting, even if she’s trying to get control of it, and she diverts her eyes to the side. Bastila exhales through her nose as she lowers her head to rest it against Raekah’s shoulder.  
“I knew it was a bad idea to let you go back to that world. I had a feeling this would happen and that he would try to get you back. He’s too greedy.”

So far, she hasn’t wanted to raise the topic on her own, as she could easily predict how worried Bastila would be, but it is now unavoidable.  
“I don’t agree. I had to go there, Bastila. I had to find out what happened to me when I went there with Alek.”

Bastila scowls and pushes herself away for a moment, trying to lock her gaze with Raekah’s, but the other woman won’t quite allow it.  
“Find out? Rae, it should’ve been obvious to you. What did you think he had done to you, after you came back so changed and twisted? Did you believe it was all a lie?”

Raekah exhales sharply, finding herself not just frustrated with the question, but her own assumptions.  
“I dunno, but that doesn’t really matter. I didn’t go there to see what his abilities would be, but how far his power could reach. I didn’t realize at the time and nothing could be done if I just sat around guessing.”

By now, it’s quite a common scenario that they disagree on a problem, but it doesn’t make Bastila feel any better about it. In this situation, it would seem to instead be incredibly dangerous to allow Raekah’s thoughts to continue.  
“Okay, so you went there, felt his presence, saw his increasingly dangerous society and got mentally invaded by him. Now what? Has our plans changed in any major way?”

“Maybe.”

“How? What difference has it made?”

Finally, her breathing appears to have returned to normal levels, and while her mind won’t stop flying in all directions, she knows what must happen.  
Bastila sees how Raekah bites her own lower lip for a moment, as if she’s hesitating.  
“I think I need to get out of this enclave as soon as possible.”

Bastila widens her eyes, far from having anticipated this particular response.  
“What? Why would you do that now?”

“It’s not safe here.”

“What do you mean? Surely, this is the safest place in the galaxy for us at this time.”

Raekah closes her eyes and shakes her head, angling her face somewhat downwards.  
“You didn’t see what I did, Bastila. If you had, then you might be thinking differently now.”

Bastila’s gaze moves searchingly across her wife, but it is her mind which tries to comprehend what she’s being told. Unfortunately, Raekah does her best to hide some of her emotions.  
“Rae, you can’t just leave, not now. These new Jedi, they need us, need you. If you go, what will happen to them?”

“They don’t need me, Bastila, and frankly, it would be too dangerous for them if I stayed.”  
She takes a moment to consider her options, whether she should fully explain what she had to endure.  
“I felt his mental touch, his power looming over me, even from here. I don’t think I’m completely protected as I am now. It’s very likely that he can influence me again, and I can’t allow that to happen.”

It would appear that Raekah has already made up her mind, and even though they might argue for a while longer, she is going to leave no matter what Bastila tries to say. She will have to try another angle then.  
“Fine, we’ll leave then.”

Raekah immediately turns to look at her.  
“We?”

“Yes, as I’m coming with you.”

A heavy sigh can be heard and Raekah’s shoulders slumps along with it.  
“Bastila…”

“No, Rae, you can’t convince me otherwise. I won’t let you go that easily.”

“This isn’t the same as when we left Halcyon. This will carry so many more risks that I don’t wish to expose you to.”

Bastila frowns, still disliking the way she’s being treated, as if she can’t make her own decisions. There may be a certain amount of logic to it all, but she won’t give in.  
“You’ll just abandon us then? What about Vaner?”

As his name is mentioned, Raekah turns her eyes towards the much smaller bed next to theirs, seeing the small boy hidden under the blankets, still resting so peacefully. While she tries her best to hide her feelings, Bastila can feel a yearning love stir within her.  
“It is him I worry for the most. If I endanger our son in any way, how will I be able to continue living? I can’t…I can’t allow that.”

A sentiment that Bastila adores and can accept, but there’s something else lurking in the background. She doesn’t know what, but it keeps poking at her, telling her not to stop.  
“Why are you so adamant about going, Rae? Last time we had this argument, I could reason with you, convince you that you shouldn’t go anywhere without me.”

Raekah senses how Bastila’s investigative traits roams over her, and she does her best to avoid them.  
“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve realized how powerful he is now and that I underestimated him. I can’t fight him constantly, not with so many distractions around me. If it all goes wrong, then both you and Vaner are in danger.  
To even be close to conquering this, I will have to keep a constant vigilance, unlike I’ve ever done before and that means a deep meditation.”

Bastila snorts and shakes her head.  
“I don’t believe you. You’ve never doubted your abilities that much, Rae. What did you see in there? What did he tell you?  
You’re hiding something, I know it.”

It’s annoying, practically frustrating how easily Bastila can see through her. Perhaps it should’ve been obvious by now that she can’t resist it, even if she keeps struggling. After all, their bond has grown to such exceptional heights, making it near impossible to keep such grave secrets between them.  
Raekah exhales again, feeling the weight on her shoulders being too much at this point. She has to accept defeat and therefore turns to her wife.  
“You really wanna know? It’s not good, Bastila.”

Sliding even closer, their faces almost touching again, Bastila takes Raekah’s hand and caresses it gentler this time.  
“I don’t care. Tell me.”

“Alright then.  
When I received that vision back on Dromund Kaas, I started to get more of an understanding for what had happened when I visited with Alek. At first, I thought it was just a straightforward answer, that he took us both under his control and made us his slaves. But, I realized that I was wrong, which became very clear tonight.”

“You…misunderstood his powers?”

“No, but I misunderstood its effects on me.”  
She shuts her eyes again.  
“He didn’t simply mind control me, as that was never his purpose nor intent. I now strongly believe that he…influenced my mind in some way, as well as my beliefs, amplifying some feelings which were already there.”

Gradually, Bastila’s eyes widen in comprehension.  
“Wait, are you say that…you…?”

Raekah nods curtly in return.  
“The actions which he drove me into, the feelings that I believed he had planted there, was all in denial. They were always there.”  
Showing her gaze again and lowering it to the bed, she emits a brief and bitter chuckle.  
“In many ways, it makes this all the more terrifying, knowing that he can’t make me do a heel turn, but instead push forth emotions that I try to keep intact, hold them bottled up.  
I was always unstable and all Vitiate did was exploit the underlying sensation. He didn’t create me, Bastila, he just allowed me to accept another part of myself.”

The understanding in Bastila’s eyes is undeniable and she seems torn, uncertain if she should be fascinated, devastated or relieved.  
She raises her other hand again, putting it on Raekah’s cheek and this time, helps angling her so that they can face each other. The grey locks with the blue, scouring its depths and attempting to embrace it.

“I’m not going to abandon you now, Rae”, she says softly. “It doesn’t matter what you try to say, because I won’t let you go. You may think I’m simply being stubborn, but that’s not it. Not entirely, anyway.  
I’ve explained to you so many times at this point, that you should simply know the truth – you need me. The foremost reason that your mind has stayed intact so far, and been able to hold him at bay this time, is our bond. You can try to deny it, but search within yourself and see if you find any other conclusion.”

Raekah sits there for a time, observing her wife as much as she tries to do the same to herself. It doesn’t take very long.  
“Yeah, maybe. You probably have a point, but…what about you and Vaner? I don’t want to risk either of you.”

“But you would risk yourself? Do you really think that’s your decision to make?”

Raekah widens her eyes somewhat and feels herself faltering.  
“I…”

Bastila shifts the location of her hand, stroking it further down Raekah’s cheek, until she can brush a thumb over her lips.  
“You should not do anything that dangerous alone. We’re a family, Rae, and nothing like this should be done when we’re divided.”

The longer they sit here, the more Raekah feels her mind weakening to the truth. Eventually, she lowers her head and rests it on top of Bastila’s shoulder, who embraces her in return.  
“I’m…I’m afraid, Bastila. There’s just so much that I-“

“I know”, she says, while closing her eyes, hands caressing Raekah’s hair and back.  
“That is why we’re here for you. We will do as you say, and leave the enclave together, at least for a time. We will find a way to strengthen ourselves and prepare. We can do this, I swear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The next chapter will be a bit more lighthearted. And gay._


	26. Passion, yet peace

And once more, the noises of the Jedi Enclave have decreased somewhat, with the departure of Raekah, Bastila and Vaner. Meetra tried to speak with them beforehand, not necessarily convince them to stay, but to at least ask them if they’re sure that this was the best option. While Visas and Atris mildly protested the move, Meetra knows who she can trust, and if Raekah believed that this was the right action to take, she wouldn’t opposite it. She will admit that it will be a little bit lonelier without them, but they must all do what is best for their people at large.

As several days have passed, where the remaining group have started conducting their investigations, the various members of her crew have been a little bit separated, as there’s so much to do and not a lot of people to divert to various tasks. However, as always, Meetra attempts to be a mediator, the one connection between them all, to see that everyone is on the same track.  
That’s why she’s making the rounds today, to be certain that everyone is doing fine.

Her first stop is one of the workshops that a few of them have been trying to install for ages now and while it’s not quite finished, they’re pretty close. Inside, she sees only two people, and ones she clearly expected as well – Atton and Bao-Dur.  
The head engineer himself is sitting in front of the newest terminal which he has partially constructed, created from various parts that he ordered in. As of right now, he’s trying to install it, or that’s Meetra’s assumption at least.  
On the other side, Atton is leaned back deeply in a pretty comfortable chair, with his feet on a nearby table and arms behind his head.

While Meetra stands and waits in the entrance to observe them, there is still mostly silence inside, except for whatever it is that Bao-Dur is doing. A few moments later, he sits up and while still keeping his eyes on his task, he reaches out with his normal arm towards his companion.  
“Atton.”

“What?”

“Can you hand me the diagnostics pad? I need to make sure that this one is adjusted correctly.”

Instead of getting up from his position, Atton reaches around from where he’s sitting, hoping to find what he’s looking for. Eventually, he picks up something not all too big and quite thin, which seems to be the right thing.  
“You mean this?”

Bao-Dur glances in his direction and nods curtly.  
“Yes. Give it to me, please.”

“What, can’t you just come over here and take it?”

With a brief sigh, Bao-Dur turns to face him.  
“I’m kind of in the middle of something here. If you want to help, then stand up and put it in my hand.”

Atton seems to be in a playful mood and he gets comfortable in his seat again.  
“Eh, I dunno. If you really need it that much, then you should be ready to work for it.”

“Atton…I can’t go that far, since I’m holding my other tool at an important location. I can’t lose focus.”

The human shrugs slightly and begins to toss the pad up and in the air, and then captures it when it falls back down.  
“I dunno if that’s enough, pal. Seems to me like you could do more.  
Like, why not trying to reach out with the Force?”

Bao-Dur closes his eyes, trying to hold back his irritation.  
“You’re literally just sitting there, Atton. This would be so much easier if you just do what I ask.”

“Yeah, but everything in life can’t be easy, can it? C’mon, it’ll be a good measure to see how much you’ve learned.  
Just, ya know…concentrate, reach out with your mind and whatever other crap they tell us.”

The zabrak is certainly not amused by this little game, and while he’s used to Atton teasing him, it’s not always done at the most opportune moments.  
However, that’s when another thought pops into his head and he looks around his own workbench.  
“I could do that, or I can solve this in another way.”

Atton stops playing with the pad for a moment and looks towards his companion.  
“Hmm? Like what?”

Shortly after, he sees how Bao-Dur pushes some kind of button on another small tool nearby, and from a box a few meters away, a device suddenly floats up into the air. Its construction is fairly similar to another orb that used to follow the engineer in the past, but this one is brown, with silvery lines and a few purple lights shining across various parts of it.  
Its movements are a little bit static and it seems like Bao-Dur himself has to guide it forward with his controller.

Eventually, it gets closer and closer to Atton, who shows an uncertain expression.  
“Uh…Bao? What’s going on? What’s it doing?”

“Relax, Atton. It just wants to give you a nice and close hug, that’s all.”

“Hug? That thing doesn’t look very cozy and I don’t want it to do anything to me.”

That makes Bao-Dur smile and he turns his gaze to Atton.  
“Well, maybe you should’ve listened to me earlier then, hmm?”

Suddenly, he pushes a specific button, and a few small outcroppings emerge from the orb, which makes it fires straight towards Atton. However, it’s not quite what he may have anticipated, as what is being shot are small water capsules, that splashes the human with cold liquid in strategic places. It doesn’t hurt much, but it does sting a little. Most of all, he gets quite wet.  
“Ahh! Hey! Stop that! Bao, make it stop!”

Bao-Dur smirks and offers his hand.  
“Maybe if you hand the pad over, I might consider your request.”

Atton has already gotten out of his chair and tosses the tool he held over to his partner.  
“Just take it and make this thing go away!”

Instead of waiting, Atton runs for the closest door, with the orb following him, continuously spraying water.  
Bao-Dur shakes his head and he lets his mechanical companion chase Atton out of the room, before he clicks for it to return. That’s when he hears footsteps from behind.  
“Ohh, have you finally fixed the remote?”

Glancing over his shoulder, he sees how Meetra comes walking and he offers her a smile.  
“Ah, General. Indeed, I have. Well, it is not entirely finished just yet, as it still requires some adjustments but, it’s getting closer.  
Right now, it’s the programming which needs the most work. I want it to be similar to what it was previously, but perhaps somewhat more versatile. Means I have to put in some extra effort.”

Meetra smiles and folds her arms as she sees how the brown orb floats inside and moves towards its box.  
“Well, if anyone can do it, I’m sure it’s you.”

“I hope so. I do miss its company.  
Anyway, what can I do for you, General? Are you here to check on our progress, perhaps?”

“Mhm, I am, among other things.”  
While Bao-Dur gets back to tinkering with his terminal, Meetra moves to sit down on the edge of the workbench and puts her hands at its surface, showing her back towards the area where Atton left.  
“How’s your investigation going? Found anything yet?”

“I have, although most of it will still have to be analyzed individually, if we want to know more on a deeper level.”  
He lifts one of his hands and points towards a device close to Meetra.  
“Check that datapad.”

“This one?”  
Meetra lifts it up and begins to browse the files that are already selected and sees a bunch of interesting names.

“That’s the one. As you can probably see, I have found a lot of fascinating origins for species that may or may not have had technology integrated with the Force. Some are more certain than others, while there are also groups which are still alive today, but has deteriorated to a much worse state than what they used to be, possibly due to this type of tech.”

Meetra nods briefly and lets her eyes wander across the names, while her fingers scroll between them.  
“I see. You have any you want to focus on?”

“Yes, there are a few which certainly show a lot of fairly fascinating potential.  
The rakata, kwa, ancient Jedi and Sith, plus the old and almost forgotten Hutt empire are high on my list.  
However, there is one species which may be more interesting than the others.  
Check the top name.”

Meetra does as he asks her and she arches a brow.  
“The Gree?”

“Yes. The most curious thing about them is that, they don’t seem to have ended up like the others. Quite the opposite, in fact.  
The Gree are said to have been around before most known civilizations, even the rakata. They interacted with various other people until, at some point, they simply disappeared. There are no obvious traces of destruction being left behind either.”

This gets Meetra to widen her eyes and she turns to watch him closely.  
“Does this mean that you…believe they might still be alive?”

“I do. Well, I don’t say this with absolute certainty, of course, but it seems to be a likely possibility. I need to make more inquiries, obviously, but if it succeeds, we may be taking a very big step to constructing the type of devices we need to counteract the dangers of this Sith Emperor. If they agree to work with us, that is.”

The conclusion is very satisfying to Meetra, and she nods with a smile on her lips. However, it soon disperses when she considers another angle, one that makes her unsure.  
“So, I’m forcing you to get involved with dangerous technology once again. Feels like we’ve gone back in time, huh?”

Hearing this, Bao-Dur immediately turns to look at her, and then, despite wanting to focus on his task, he puts his tools down and leans back in his chair, giving her a solemn look.  
“Don’t say that, General. I know how you may feel but, it won’t be the same. I’ll make sure it won’t be.”

Meetra shifts her gaze towards his and while she isn’t sure what to say, the certainty in his eyes makes her smile.  
“Well, guess I trust your judgement more than anyone else. Thanks.”

Bao-Dur offers her a small smile, but before he manages to say anything, he turns to look at someone who appears on the other side of the terminal.  
“Hello Bao”, Atton says, and also gives Meetra a glance.  
“Oh, and hey Surik. Not interrupting, am I?”

Meetra raises a questioning brow in his direction and then shakes her head.  
“Not really. We were just discussing the future, that’s all.”

Bao-Dur folds his arms and his lips curl into a smirk instead.  
“You seem to be quite drenched, Atton. Have anything to say for yourself?”

Instead of the expected reaction, Atton mirrors his expression and nods.  
“Good observation, pal. Although, I feel a little bit lonely, being the only one standing like this. Mind joining me?”

“What?”

And that’s all Bao-Dur manages to say, before Atton reveals what he was holding in his hands – a bucket of water. Before the zabrak manages to do anything to stop it, the entire contents of the container are tossed over the terminal and pours down over Bao-Dur. He tries to evade it, unsuccessfully, and falls off his chair.  
Meetra, not having expected it either, just sits there rather stunned for a moment. This makes Atton grin as he places his hands on his hips.  
“Don’t worry, Surik, we’ve got it all covered.”  
  


* * *

  
After leaving this area of the enclave, Meetra continues along her route to see what the others are doing. Atris is apparently digging deeply into the sections of the archives where she’s allowed to go, and Visas tries to use miraluka-friendly HoloNet devices, in hopes of discovering information as well.

In the meantime, Meetra can’t find the two other women of their little group and she wanders around, hoping to locate some kind of clues or trace of their activity. She expected one of them to be in the archives as well but, Atris had not seen her.

It isn’t until she arrives at one of the training facilities within the enclave, that she notices a sight she had far from expected.  
Inside of it, Brianna and Mira are caught in not just a training session, which is something that is obviously fine, but one where neither of them are dressed in more than their underwear. There are also no weapons, as they’re sparring with nothing but their hands, albeit with protective gear held over them.

Meetra wonders what might be best to do and for now, decides to stand and wait, observing how they perform. She is pretty sure that she has arrived in an early stage of their sparring, even though they both appear to be somewhat sweaty already.  
Thinking back to their journeys, this isn’t the first time that Meetra has witnessed either of them with quite a bit of skin showing but, it’s slightly unusual to see Mira wearing practically nothing at all. While she’s not untrained, her fitness levels can’t quite compare to that of Brianna, who’s much more well-versed in these techniques. Then again, maybe this has slowly changed.

The first part of this session is focused on them testing one another, or rather, Brianna testing Mira. It’s already fairly well-known how good the echani is at this type of fighting, but seeing as how Mira can hold her ground to a certain extent, it appears that she either has done this before, or that this may not be the first time that Brianna has helped her out in improving her melee-range skills.  
The biggest difference appears to be not just in their skill level, but in their abilities and traits. Brianna is definitely not slow, but her attacks are based on strength and her defenses on parrying or blocking. In contrast, Mira employs much more speed, whether she wants to or not, which means her chosen offensive moves are based on precision and agility, while at the same time, when she has to back off, she dodges rather than taking any of Brianna’s hits directly. This does appear to take a bit more effort.

When it appears that the duel has gone on long enough, Brianna seems to put in a higher gear and increases her levels on almost everything, which slowly but surely beats Mira back. The hunter desperately tries to find ways to turn it around, but the longer it goes on, the more futile it looks.  
No more than a couple of minutes have passed since Meetra entered, when Mira is pushed up against the nearby wall and she grunts lightly as Brianna puts an arm over her chest.

“It’s over”, she says with an even but firm tone.

Mira’s expression softens and displays some exhaustion as she begins to breathe heavily.  
“Yeah, yeah, okay, you win. This was kind of an unfair fight, though.”

Brianna raises a confused brow and takes a small step back, while lowering her arms.  
“What do you mean? How was this unfair? We used the same kind of tools and outfits.”

Mira pushes away from the wall, dusting herself off a bit and then rubs her a hand over her arm, feeling how it’s getting somewhat stiff. She can sense pain in most areas of her body too, although not necessarily in a bad way.  
“Yeah but, that doesn’t mean it was an even fight. You’re much better than me at this.”

“Well, obviously, but that is why we train, no?”

Mira shrugs and diverts her eyes to the side.  
“Meh, I guess. Doesn’t make it fair, though. Plus, you were kinda distracting me too.”

Brianna furrows her brow and crosses her arms over her chest.  
“What? No, I wasn’t.”

“Yes, you were.”

“How? I don’t remember doing anything distracting at all.”

“Oh yeah?”  
As she places her hands at her hips, her eyes move back to her companion and she surveys the person before her.  
“So, what I’m looking at isn’t a fit and hot lady in a very lacking outfit? Is that just my imagination, then? Wouldn’t be impossible, I guess. Pretty sure I’ve had a few dreams like that.”

Brianna rolls her eyes, thoroughly unimpressed.  
“If you get distracted by such frivolous things in combat, you only have yourself to blame.”

Mira smirks at her, turning to lock their gazes together.  
“Sorry, but I can’t quite ignore sights like that, ya know.”  
She takes a step forward, closing the distance between them and begins to poke at Brianna’s exposed stomach.  
“You can pretend it wasn’t your plan all along, but I don’t believe you.”

One might have believed that Brianna wouldn’t be ticklish, but it appears that is an incorrect assumption, as she twitches and tries to evade the pokes.  
“That’s…that’s ridiculous. I would never-  
Hey…stop that.”

“Stop what?”

She is forced further back, but Mira follows her.  
“Stop poking me.”

“Nah. Why should I?”

“Because it’s annoying. Stop it.”

“What, you think this is getting a little bit intrusive? Perhaps somewhat…distracting?”

Brianna separates her arms then and tries to hold off Mira’s hands, but the hunter is certainly fast when it comes to finding gaps.  
“Yes, it is!”

“Hah, then maybe you’re starting to see how I felt about such things earlier?”

“This isn’t even close to the same! You’re actively attempting to poke me, while I have to defend!”

Mira’s expression is growing into a grin, as she really seems to enjoy playing around with Brianna.  
“Yeah, so? Your methods are active too, just not as obvious.”

“They’re not! I wasn’t-…  
I wasn’t using any methods!”

“Sure you were. ‘The curves of Eshan’ or something like that.”

“…you’re an idiot!”

Mira chuckles and gets in a few really good moves under Brianna’s arms, which makes the historian gasp.  
“Well, duh. Don’t think I’ve ever denied that.”

This doesn’t seem to make Brianna any happier and she frowns.  
“Mira, I’m telling you to stop this right now! I’m warning you!”

“Ohh, warning me, huh? That’s interesting. What happens after that? Take me to the floor and sit on me?”

Brianna seems to reach a certain point when she just won’t accept any more of it and through a surprisingly quick action, she grabs Mira’s wrists and holds them both up, away from herself. At the same time, she steps in closer and glares at the hunter.  
“I said, stop! If you won’t listen, I’ll have to make you.”

Mira smirks at her and giggles lightly as well.  
“Ah, don’t be such a grump. I was just having some fun.”

“To you, maybe, but I find it annoying. _Very_ annoying.”

“You say that, but I know you like me.”

“You can’t prove that.”

Mira raises a curious brow, finding the challenge interesting.  
“I can’t?”

She lowers her gaze, eyeing the short distance between them, especially now that Brianna is holding onto her. She decides to close it a bit further, their bodies practically touching at this point, something she enjoys.  
The expression upon Brianna’s face makes it clear that she realizes what’s going on, but instead of pulling away, she remains and lets Mira do as she wants. This isn’t the first time that something like this has occurred, just that it’s never easy to tell when it might.

Mira pushes herself to such a distance that they can practically feel the breathes upon each other’s lips, with Brianna sensing how her heart beats a bit faster, although for a different reason than before. She doesn’t say it but, she always finds it fascinating to observe her own reaction to it, which is why she lets it happen.  
Unfortunately, just as they’re about to be locked, Mira shifts her eyes towards another sight not too far behind Brianna and smiles.

“Oh, hey there, boss.”

Hearing this, Brianna widens her eyes, and without even thinking, her cheeks become flushed. She lets go of Mira and whirls around.  
“Master!”

Meetra clears her throat and nods at them both.  
“Uh, hello. And…what are you two doing?”

It’s fairly unusual to see Brianna awkward about anything, but not completely unheard of. When she’s in situation she’s not very used to or finds difficult to handle, it becomes overwhelming for her.  
“Nothing! Nothing in particular!”

Mira chuckles and places her hands at her hips again.  
“Just having a bit of fun, that’s all. You don’t mind, do you?”

Meetra shakes her head briefly.  
“I guess not, as long as neither of you gets hurt.”

Glancing to her side, Mira wraps one of her arms around Brianna’s shoulders and pulls her close.  
“Don’t worry, boss, I would never hurt someone this cute.”

Brianna feels a mix of irritation and embarrassment as she rolls her eyes and diverts them to the floor.  
“Shut up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I'm putting minor pushes on these two pairings too. Basically, everyone is gay (or bi). The gay Jedi._   
>  _If you are interested in the latter of these two couples, look out for another fic I'm posting tomorrow._


	27. Into the mist

The static view of stars fills her window, seeming to wink towards her, telling her that they’re always watching. It’s not strange to be back in space per se, a place that she and Bastila had lingered in for a few years after they left Halcyon behind, but Raekah had hoped they wouldn’t have to go back there for a while. It’s not just because she may feel safer with her feet held at the solid ground of a planet, with proper gravity dictating their surroundings, but her thoughts also drift towards Vaner. He deserves to grow up on a world, surrounded by forests, clear skies and open fields, or at the very least, a safe house and more people who love him than his parents. 

Unfortunately, life cannot grant them the calm they crave just yet, and that is why they got back on the ship they had come to Telos with and flew off into the stars again, hoping to find security somewhere else. For now, they don’t have any clear destination. Is there any point in going to another planet or space station, when they know they’ll likely have to leave soon again?  
Besides, if the Emperor, or anyone else, tries to chase after them, being in a ship is a pretty good way to escape quickly.

For now, she sits alone on a chair inside a fairly dark room. On the table before her, she keeps her eyes on the small holocomm device she has placed there and waits. Above it, the hologram flickers in and out, never taking a solid shape, as it has not yet made any connection. The call continues, still nothing and for each second that goes by, Raekah gets more anxious. What if something has happened? Surely, Vitiate must have realized by now, after what he told her in the dream. She doesn’t want to consider what the Emperor would do to a traitor, but…

Thankfully, she doesn’t have to think about it for long, because a proper holographic image is established, and Raekah sets her eyes on a familiar bald figure in heavy armor.  
“Scourge, there you are!”

He looks at her as unfazed and neutral as always, while he folds his arms and inclines his head.  
“Raekah.”

“Thank the stars, I was getting really worried when you didn’t answer for so long. I’ve been calling you for quite some time, or trying to at least.”

“Yes, I am aware of that. I have to apologize for the delay. It was rather difficult to set up a connection, due to how often I am being watched.”

She feared he’d say something like this and furrows her brow.  
“They watch you?”

“Yes, they do, although not more than anyone else. The Emperor wants to know what his subjects, or at least those close to him, do at all times.” 

That’s at least a little bit of comfort, but not enough to make her feel good.  
“I see. Well, I’m glad you were able to answer now, anyway. How are you doing?”

“As of right now, I am fine. Things have been moving along accordingly, and so far, I haven’t noticed anything particularly worrying.” 

“Nothing suspicious then?”

Scourge shakes his head.  
“It does not seem as if anyone suspects what we have done, nor what will happen in the future. Nothing on the news or official channels has indicated that they recognized our arrival or that you departed and the Empire continues as always. That does not mean they are oblivious, necessarily, but I have seen no worrying trends so far.”

Despite what he says, she notices how his brow furrows.  
“What is it?”

“I am not sure. Despite how well it is going thus far, I still have this sensation which tells me that everything is not quite right. As if I have missed something, or that an event of some kind is closing in, without my knowledge.”  
He looks back at Raekah, eyes focused on hers.  
“Might be paranoia.”

Raekah watches him as well for a few moments, before she sighs.  
“No, unfortunately, your senses are as sharp as ever. Everything is not as well on our end.” 

His frown deepens and she sees how the tension descends upon him, but otherwise, he does nothing.  
“Go on.”

“Bastila, our son and I had to leave the Jedi Enclave pretty recently, and we’re now back in space again.” 

The tension now grows into clear worry, although with his expression, it would be easy to assume as if he is annoyed.  
“You left? Why? Were you attacked or did the others drive you out?”

“No, no, nothing like that. Well, at least not physically, but there was an assault of a kind, through the Force.” She takes a deep breath, gaze lowered to the floor, before she continues.  
“It was Vitiate.” 

“Vitiate attacked you from afar? How?” 

Raekah leans back in her chair and raises a hand up to her hair, running her fingers through it.  
“Yeah, although it was quite subtle at first. He appeared in a dream a few days ago, when we were still in the Enclave.  
Apparently, he had known we were coming to Dromund Kaas all along, and felt that it was amusing to observe us, but do nothing about it.  
Once we returned and got into some semblance of safety, that’s when he struck.”  
She closes her eyes, feeling the dream so vividly still. Most days, she hardly even remembers them, other than the lingering sensation. It’s unnerving that this one appears to last.  
“He tried to utilize some sort of mind trick, similarly to the last time we encountered one another. I don’t know if the distance was simply too large or if my defenses have gotten better, but he failed.” 

Scourge stands and merely stares at her for several moments, his expression ambiguous.  
“I see”, he eventually says. “This is obviously alarming for a number of reasons, but mostly due to the fact that I had not expected this. I was sure we had evaded his gaze.”

“Yeah, so did I. Guess we both underestimated him.” 

The Sith shakes his head, starting to slowly pace, but not all too far from the view of the projector.  
“So far, I haven’t noticed any changes, nor has Vitiate indicated that there’s anything amiss.”

“You spoke to him then?”

“Yes, right after I returned, once the rest of you had left. I entered as normally and were immediately called into the throne room, as I had anticipated. I told him the story we decided upon and then I handed the mask over to him. He seemed to appreciate it, amused somehow. After that, he told me to leave.”

Raekah arches a questioning brow.  
“No punishment issued?”

“None, not even any further questions.”  
He stops and scowls, eyes drawn to the floor.  
“I hadn’t thought about how strange that seemed at the time. I suppose I was too distracted by my relief.”

“Yeah, that seems very suspicious. I have a feeling he really knows what’s going on then.” 

Scourge sighs, seeming annoyed, although mostly with himself.  
“Well, I suppose we can’t be sure either way, as we don’t really know in what manner he operates.” 

“True, but this does raise a lot of questions. What does he really know at this point? What are his plans, and does he suspect that you’re going to betray him?” 

The questions aren’t aimed at anyone, nor are they rhetorical, but merely a list, something to consider for the future. This obviously means that there’s no answers either.  
“I will do my best to find the truth behind each of them.”

Raekah nods, concern lingering on her face.  
“Please do, but also be careful. Your situation is very precarious right now and we don’t know if he will try to surprise you in some way, at some later date.” 

“Of course, and I will do my best to keep my eyes open, but I have to at least try to appear oblivious, as to not draw all too much attention. Perhaps I am just not a concern for him, which might be rather unnerving, but that would still mean that he underestimates me.” 

“Sure, but don’t rely on it. Being who he is, I’m certain he’s very confident at all times, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s overconfident.”

She’s about to add something else, but stops before going the whole way, as she suddenly feels as if she’s being watched. She turns her gaze around to the doorway, making her realize that she’s not alone.  
“So, this is the Sith I’ve heard so much about?”

“Bastila!”, Raekah exclaims in surprise.  
“I…I didn’t see you coming in.”  
Technically, she’s not really inside yet, as she’s on the opposite side of the entrance, standing in a set of dark blue robes with her arms folded. Raekah reveals some of her external uncertainty, as she knows she hadn’t told her wife about this call.

Scourge looks around in confusion.  
“There’s someone with you? I heard a different voice, but I can’t see any other person shown from the transmitter.”

Raekah continues to meet her wife’s gaze and Bastila stares at her still. It’s hard to tell whether she’s angry, disappointed or just suspicious. Either way, Raekah offers her hand.  
“You…want to come inside and talk to him?”

Bastila lingers in this position for a few more seconds, before she sighs, shoulders slumping along with her gaze and strolls inside.  
“I suppose.”  
It’s not until she gets close that Raekah understands quite how she feels, but it becomes evident to both of them soon enough. Bastila sits down right next to her wife, and wraps both arms tightly around her, almost possessively.

Raekah smiles, not wanting to stop her from doing anything and instead merely puts her hand on top of Bastila’s and looks at Scourge.  
“This is my wife, Bastila Shan.”

They both notice something changing in Scourge, as if his eyes glistens with recognition.  
“Hmm, I believe I’ve heard that name before. Meetra spoke to me for a time about the Jedi, while Raekah was sleeping, and mentioned the name Bastila among them.”

Bastila doesn’t appear all too annoyed to hear that, although she likely doesn’t enjoy the idea of a Sith hearing of her.  
“I see. I hope she did not say anything bad about me?” 

Scourge shakes his head and puts his arms behind his back.  
“Not at all. She had only praise for you, saying that you were probably the best out of the four of you, if this ‘Alek’ is to be included.” 

That brings a faint smile onto Bastila’s lips, thinking that Meetra probably exaggerated, but she doesn’t mind.  
“Well, I’m glad to hear how she feels but, I have to admit I was never part of that group. We were of slightly different ages and classes, and I had not befriended any of them until we were all adults.” 

“Then it appears she may have admired you from afar.” 

Bastila nods briefly and would fold her arms, but she refuses to let go of the other woman.  
“I have heard certain things about you as well, Lord Scourge, but not necessarily as flattering.”

That definitely gets Raekah’s attention and she clears her throat.  
“Uh…wait, that’s not true! We haven’t been insulting you in secret or anything, I swear!”

While Bastila doesn’t necessarily look smug, there is definitely an amused glimmer to the glance she gives Raekah.  
“I don’t believe that’s what I said either.”

They both hear Scourge emitting a short snorting noise.  
“I am not worried. I understand why Jedi, or former ones, might feel somewhat uncomfortable working with Sith. If it is any consolation, they are for the most part, quite mutual.” 

He says it with such confidence, as if it would be obvious, but Raekah isn’t sure if she really agrees with that point. She’d like to believe that they have built something interesting here, a bridge that none other would’ve tried before. Perhaps it was all an illusion.  
Bastila soon looks upon him with more interest as well.  
“While we’re being honest, I must say that I never expected for an entire Sith culture to still exist, so far out of contact from the Republic, and for all these millennia. Even as we visited Nathema, I felt skepticism lingering in my mind, but I knew I had to accept it.”

He inclines his head at her, making sure to physically evaluate her while he has the chance.  
“From what I’ve heard thus far, it appears as if we have similar horror stories of one another’s cultures. It is likely something which the long-lasting antagonism feeds.” 

“You’re probably right”, she says, not liking the idea of ignoring the truth they all acknowledge by now. It is there and pretending it’s not will only make this worse, increase the tension.  
“I must admit that I still worry for what you can and will do, if given the chance.” 

He arches one of his sharp eyebrows, possibly amused by her frankness.  
“If you wish, I can attempt to reassure you in some fashion.”

She shrugs back at him.  
“I’m sure you can try, but I doubt there’s anything that will truly help. No words you can tell me will make me feel safer about working with you.”

“Very well. Then just know that I appreciate your honesty, at least.” 

While he doesn’t notice, Bastila definitely hears a slight sigh erupting from Raekah’s nostrils. She clearly doesn’t wish to get in between their conversation, but is likely disturbed by the blatant display of mistrust.  
For now, Bastila tries to ignore that, as she sees an opportunity here.  
“If you don’t mind and have the time, I do want to ask you something.”

“Of course, please do.” 

Raekah senses how Bastila’s hold has loosened somewhat, but she refuses to stray too far, still wanting the touch.  
“I wish to ask you about your Emperor, although not necessarily what brought you to the conclusion you have ended up at, as Raekah and Meetra spoke enough of this already.  
Instead, I’d like to hear your opinion on Vitiate. You may see his existence, his entity, as a threat, but do you hate him?”

Scourge observes her for a second or two, before he answers.  
“I do hate what he plans to do.”

“Sure, but do you hate the man himself? Or however you wish to classify that creature.” 

They notice how he raises one of his hands to the tendrils which act as a beard and strokes them thoughtfully, his attention clearly aimed at her now.  
“A very curious question. I admit that, in terms of the actual man, I feel nothing as drastic as that.  
After all, had he not been here and acted the way he did in the first place, the Empire would not have existed and had he not ruled it with such an iron fist, it’s very possible we might have turned to infighting. It was part of why we lost the last major war against the Republic, after all.”

Bastila scowls briefly.  
“You don’t mind his authoritarianism at all?”

“No, for without it, we would have been nothing.  
For a thousand years, Vitiate’s power has been the foremost reason for our continuing stability, and we've constantly been able to grow. With him in charge and with the Empire’s best interest at heart, there are few things which would be able to split us. Our expansion would be inevitable.  
It can be seen as well, throughout history. Several times, other Sith, foolish in their hubris, have tried to pull us in various directions, but swift actions from our Emperor has ended this immediately. If he only cared, the Empire would span the galaxy and we would be eternal.”

His words worry both of them, even Raekah, who clearly doesn’t like how eager he is to display their different philosophies. It’s very clear how deeply Scourge cares for the Empire. Then again, that also means he will fight as hard as possible to stop anyone from tearing it apart, even its leader.  
Bastila is not quite done with her questions, even as she senses distaste building in her mouth.  
“Do you believe chaos and destruction will follow if Vitiate were to disappear?”

They see how Scourge’s pride simmer down slightly and he lowers his gaze somewhat.  
“It is very plausible, yes. I do still carry a small hope that the truth will open their eyes, but I am not as naive as if to think this would ever be enough. History has shown us otherwise.” 

“And despite knowing this, you are willing to fight Vitiate regardless?”

He snorts a bit amusedly.  
“You sound as if you doubt me, Jedi.” 

Bastila’s frown deepens somewhat.  
“Can you blame me? You just held a speech about the glory of the Emperor, of his great wisdom and strength. It is hard to believe you’d agree upon killing such a symbol.”

“I am not as foolish as if to shape my belief after wishful thinking.  
I will fight Vitiate with everything I have, as long as he views us as nothing more than objects to sacrifice at his behest. I do this, because the alternative is not something I can accept.  
If I have to choose between death and chaos, then I would prefer the latter in any situation. Hopefully, there will someday be a third option, but only time will tell.” 

It's not a foreign sentiment, even to Bastila, although she will admit that he is still foolish if he thinks the Empire’s ways are the ones that can ever bring any meaningful progress. She doesn’t say this out loud at this point, as it’s clear he wouldn’t care.  
“But if you believe Vitiate can do something good for the Empire, if he truly wanted, why are you willing to listen to Jedi, rather than this man who has protected your society for this long? It’s a possibility that we’re lying to you, isn’t there?”

She hears Raekah clearing her throat.  
“Erm…”

However, she stops when Bastila raises a finger, as if to ask her not to interfere. Raekah sighs, and leaves it be.  
It appears he rarely shows very pleased expressions in any way, not even a small chuckle and even now, most they see is how he arches his eyebrow.  
“I am sure you could, but technically, this is not what is happening. I trust the Force, and not the Jedi, nor Vitiate. The Force is something beyond either truth or lies, and it is therefore much easier to accept that path.  
Even if it would somehow lead me astray, for whatever reason, my people’s welfare is still more important than one man’s power.”

A somewhat satisfying answer to Bastila. Now, if only she could somehow make him realize the folly of the Sith’s perspective. Seems quite unlikely to ever happen at this rate.  
“I suppose I can’t disagree.  
What do you believe will happen once this is all over? If we survive, that is. Will we return to being enemies again? Or is there a possibility for a mutual ideal of non-aggression?” 

Scourge shrugs, not showing any signs of being bothered by the future.  
“I can’t say for sure. It is conceivable that conflict will be inevitable, but I would prefer that it is not, at least for now.  
However, should that be the only end we’ll ever arrive at, then I will make sure not to look for you on the battlefield.” 

Raekah offers a small smile for him, not wanting to leave it at this grim note.  
“Well, I mean, we wouldn’t want that either but, you could always come over to our side as well. We’ve got space.”

He merely shakes his head, not even willing to give the thought the time it might deserve.  
“An intriguing offer, but it does not interest me, I’m afraid. Your Republic and the Jedi are far too soft and narrow for my taste.”

Bastila rolls her eyes.  
“Compassion, peace and understanding has brought us prosperity for many generations by now. We’re not as weak as you believe.” 

“Perhaps, but we shall see if such beliefs will bring you a strength equal to ours as well.”


	28. Bog dens

While the rebuilt Jedi Order focus their efforts on finding items or knowledge that can help them in their effort to defeat the foe which looms in the shadowed regions of the galaxy, not all who are involved with the Order are sent to do the same thing.  
HK-47 has not been entirely sure what sort of purpose he would serve in the current activities of his master, as it is unlikely that he’d be sent to eliminate Sith or other members of the Empire, even if he would be very willing to do it. However, it seems other parts of his skills, such as tracking targets, is something at least Bastila found of use and therefore sent him on a special mission.

A few weeks have passed since he was first dispatched to complete this and so far, he has made slow and steady progress, having to go from planet to planet to search for answers. The individuals he’s tracking are ones he’s familiar with and knows they are capable, even if they are organic beings. They will likely be significant for the Order in their fight against the Emperor, so it’s clearly crucial that he succeeds.  
Initially, Bastila had been unsure of how wise it would be to send HK on his own, as he’s not known to be the most cautious nor gentle of droids, but who else was she going to ask? The Jedi needs to deal with this matter on their own, and since everyone else was busy, there was only one choice.

On this rather early morning, he has arrived in a small rural town, on an Outer Rim world called Hilj’itar. The name of the town was unimportant to him, as the only interesting factor was that it is where his latest and best lead has taken him.  
The place is pitiful in his robotic eyes, consisting of no more than a few dozen buildings, with a variety of farms in the surrounding area. His attention is immediately drawn to a rundown cantina, knowing that most organic filth tend to gather in such establishments. Might as well check it out.

To his slight surprise, there’s quite a few people inside, despite being so early in the day. Then again, this is probably the only cantina for miles and these people likely need whatever foul beverages are served here.  
There are no droids other than him, so all the attention is immediately drawn to his metal hide, but he ignores most of them, instead moving straight for the duros bartender in the back.

“Declaration: Greetings, I am HK-47, recent visitor to your primitive settlement and I am searching for two meatbags which should have arrived within the vicinity of it in the not-too-distant past.  
Explanation: According to the rumors I have acquired thus far, they are known as ‘the old bog sage and his thorny daughter’.  
Inquiry: Can you guide me further in this endeavor?”

The bartender looks a little bit overwhelmed to be confronted in this way, while also being insulted at the same time. However, it is a droid, so he lets it be for now.  
“Uh, bog sage? Sorry, I…don’t think I’ve heard anything like that. Sounds like a kid’s story, though. You sure this is accurate?”

HK nods briefly.  
“Recognition: Positive. The two people I am searching for are most assuredly real, as I have seen them with my own two ocular receivers.  
Skeptical inquiry: Since you are thoroughly lacking in information acquisition, is there anyone else I can ask, with more knowledge of the region?”

The duros sighs and shrugs.  
“Look, I dunno. I only serve drinks in here. If you wanna hear more about gossip or fairytales, ask the farmers or something.”

Quite a disappointing start to his arrival and he’s just about to turn and leave when someone calls out from behind.  
“Hey, droid. Did you say you’re looking for the ‘bog sage’?”

He shifts his focus and turns to gaze at a table, occupied by what looks to be a few younger organics, probably in their late teens or perhaps a little bit older than that.  
“Confession: That is correct, and his ‘thorny daughter’.  
Statement: You appear to be of the younger model of meatbags. Apparently, my intended goal is viewed as a ‘kid’s story’. Perhaps you will be able to assist me further?”

They don’t really seem to appreciate what he’s implying, and the one who called out to him, a young rattataki man, is the one to address him now.  
“Yeah, but not with an attitude like that. We’re not kids, or else we wouldn’t be allowed in here. Why are you looking for these people anyway?”

“Explanation: My masters have some business to attend with these meatbags and therefore require me to deliver a message.”

The young man is chewing on something, and looks at his companions, about a dozen people. It’s uncertain if they’re all from the same village or not, but they’re quite a diverse group.  
“Who are these masters of yours?”

“Statement: This is none of your concern. If you are able to provide me with worthwhile information, I have permission to assign a credit reward.”

That makes the group a little bit more interested and they whisper among themselves for a few seconds, before they turn to him a response.  
“Alright, sounds good. The ones you’re looking for have a house about an hour or two to the northwest, a couple of hundred meters from the road. It’s got a dark green roof, and while it’s closer to the bog, it’s not exactly inside of it. I think the ‘sage’ was just spotted in there at some point, by the people who first gave him the name.”

HK considers this piece of news, and if it’s worth investigating, but since he has nothing else, he might as well try. There’s always a possibility that these meatbags are lying, as they tend to do, but he hasn’t suspected anything thus far.  
“Acknowledgement: Very well, I thank you for the useful, albeit somewhat simplistic directions. Your reward, as promised.”

He pulls out a small credit chit from a slot on his body, holding an amount that these people should at least appreciate, even if it’s not enormous. He tosses it over, makes his way to the door and leaves the town.  
Unbeknownst to him initially, certain eyes have not left him just yet.  
  


* * *

  
Having arrived in this location with a speeder bus, HK have to go by foot towards the area that was pointed out to him, but it is not a trip that is particularly tiring. Nothing really is, to a droid.  
His journey takes just a little bit more than an hour, one he makes while constantly sweeping the area with his robotic sight, trying to spot others who might possibly be wandering around, but so far, it has been quite empty.

Eventually, he arrives at the small house that was pointed out to him which interestingly enough doesn’t have any real road that goes to it. It’s as if someone either forgot to connect it to the rest of the network, or didn’t want it to be.  
When trying to spy at it from outside, he doesn’t see any movement or even turned on lights within. It might be that the denizens are simply asleep, but he gets a feeling that there’s no one currently inside. He decides to scout the area a bit further, before trying to approach it. If this is some kind of trap, he’s not going to stumble all too easily into it, nor will he be fooled by crude meatbag deceptions.

While he wanders around for a few minutes, he soon runs into another individual not too far away, walking along the road closest to the house. HK cannot determine if this person is on the way to the house, or if it’s someone who might simply be living nearby, but trying to gain further information can’t be a bad conclusion at this point.  
What he notices from this meatbag is that it’s someone around average height for humans, wearing beige robes and a metal cane in their hand. The hood being pulled up does obscure some of HK’s view of this person, but that isn’t much of an issue just yet.

“Inquiry: Elderly meatbag, could you answer a question for me? I wish to know more of the residents of the house outside of this road.”

The old person stops for a moment, still holding onto the cane and then snorts. The voice which is heard soon after is quite deep and a little bit hoarse.  
“Quite a rude behavior you’re displaying, droid. You must’ve had some pretty poor creators if this is the best they could do.”

HK feels himself being amused by this statement, as he does often find it funny how organics react to him. Their feelings are irrelevant.  
“Smug clarification: I was not programmed for politeness or etiquette, but hunting and tracking.”

The old man sighs and shakes his head.  
“As if the way you present yourself or the weapon you wear so openly wasn’t enough, I already knew of this flaw of yours. It seems you haven’t changed.”

HK stops, intrigued by the statement and figures that he might have finally ended his journey after all.  
“Query: Meatbag, you would not possibly be-“

He’s interrupted before he can go the whole way.  
“You know, there must be some kind of deficiency with you as of late. Either you’ve got something broken in that twisted bucket you call a head, or you’ve not received any new perception modules in a while. You’ve been followed.”

Turning around to watch the area behind him, where one can see bushes and a few trees, HK does not seem particularly bothered.  
“Confident statement: There is nothing wrong with my modules at this time, meatbag. I knew all along that these newer organic models were after me, but I simply let them. I was certain they would not be foolish enough to make an attempt upon me, which they have not done so far.”

The old man groans.  
“Don't you think an upgrade with less arrogance would suit you?"

That’s when the gang, led by the young rattataki man that he met earlier, reveals themselves by stepping out into the open. All of them have some kind of weapon, but only a few have actual blaster pistols.  
“Alright, you saw us, but that’s not gonna help you, old man. It’s time to give up ‘sage’. This time, we’re coming for you.”

The old man simply keeps his hands on his cane and when he speaks, there’s something amused to his tone.  
“My, my, quite a big group you’ve assembled here, Vylor. But what do you kids think you’re doing with those toys, huh?”

Vylor, as he’s apparently called, frowns as he grips his blaster a bit harder.  
“They’re not toys, asshole, and we’re with the droid. It’s here for you and we’re gonna help it.”

If HK could show any facial expressions at this point, he would appear fairly perplexed by what they just said.  
“Confounded response: With me? It appears that there is an error in your logic circuits, meatbag. I do not recall asking for assistance, other than with directions.”

“Yeah, we know, but we figured you might want some help. This old guy in the robes is the ‘bog sage’ you were looking for. He can be quite a handful to deal with, or so some people have said. We want to help ya out and get another reward for it. You’ll need us.”

Meatbags and their weird assumptions. It seems that they somehow got his words all wrong and are now going after something he has never stated.  
“Patronizing explanation: There has been some mistake made, or your mental capacity might be lacking, but I shall do my best to clarify the situation.  
First of all, there is no reward, due to the fact that I never issued any for this endeavor, other than for directions.  
Secondly, I have never stated that I am here to capture anyone. Whatever you construed from the words I offered you, has not met with reality. You might wish to return and further contemplate your choices in life.”

Vylor is caught in a confused mess of surprise and anger, mostly because this droid really is annoying for him to deal with.  
“Wh-what? But…but you said you had ‘business’ with them! That kind of language can only mean one thing!”

“Clarification: Incorrect, the words I utilized have several connotations and yours were clearly erroneous.”

“Then what the hell are you here for?!”

“Unfriendly statement: That is none of your concern, meatbag. I suggest you vacate the premises at this time, for any further words are not for your auricular receptors.”

Now he’s clearly pissed off and they see not just his frown, but how most of his body seems to tense up. The rest of the gang notices the same thing as they raise or unlock their weapons.  
“Alright, fuck it! If that’s how it’s gonna be, we’ll just take both of you. This droid is probably pretty valuable anyway and we can ransom the old man if need be, to whomever its stupid masters are. Get ‘em!”

From the old man, they hear a disappointed sigh.  
“Kids these days, they just don’t have any appreciation for manners or privacy. Wasn’t like that in my day.  
Have your parents not taught you anything at all, huh? Think I should go have a chat with them after this.”

Several of those with guns aim them straight for the old man, wanting to take him out first, but he simply raises his hand and from behind, a large discarded branch comes flying in a low altitude. The speed which it moves with is enough to crash rather harshly into their legs and trip them over. Whatever shots are discharged, still miss completely.

On his side, HK pulls out the rifle from his back and removes any safety precautions.  
“Declaration: Initiating battle protocols. It has been a while since I had a good fight, but I suppose this one will do for now.”

That doesn’t seem to suit the sage.  
“Hey, HK! There’s no need to kill these brats. They just don’t know what they’re doing. No more than stuns rounds, alright?”

HK hesitates in irritation, before agreeing to it.  
“Displeased acknowledgement: Very well, if you wish to ruin my day even further, I suppose I shall comply.”

At that time, Vylor and at least one other shooter have gotten their guns back up and begins to fire against the old man, but shockingly enough for them, he is rather adept at combat, so much that he manages to dodge each of them, surprisingly fast. A second after that, he raises his hand and they almost feel a wind coming out of nowhere, flinging them backwards.  
This display doesn’t do much to help the other young men and women without guns.

“Whoa, what the fuck. Did you see that?”, one of them asks.

“Yeah, this…this isn’t good.”

“Haven’t you heard? My cousin said the bog sage and his daughter have magical powers. How the hell are we gonna fight them with clubs and swords?”

The trio who were talking immediately begins to retreat, leaving the rest of the gang behind. Vylor looks after them in anger.  
“Hey, come back here! Damn cowards!”

From his own position, the old man merely chuckles, seeming glad that his plan, and reputation, is working perfectly.  
“Haven’t you learned anything from what I told you, Vylor? Don’t mess with old coots, especially not in bogs. We’re rather cranky and stubborn fools, you see, often too much for punks like yourself. Now run along, before I pull out a properly horrible concoction.”

The rattataki turns to face him, trying to prepare another assault.  
“You’re not gonna trick me again, you old bastard!”

While the sage seems rather self-satisfied and HK focuses on a few of the other gang members, neither of them notices how a handful of other young people arrive from the bushes on their side, flanking the duo.  
The old man attempts to turn around and hold back this offensive, but it’s seemingly going to be too late.

Fortunately, where his reflexes and attention is lacking, he has his companion. A woman, probably half his age at least, comes leaping in from nowhere, landing in front of the newly arrived reinforcements.  
She pushes an elbow into the first one, with such speed that he tumbles to the ground. She trips the next one, delivers a kick to the belly of the third and uses the last two against one another, by grabbing the first by the arm and tossing them into the other. All are alive, but either unconscious or in pain.

As her hood have now flown off, it’s possible to see her appearance better, with the pointed ears, yellow eyes and very thin fur of a cathar.  
Once she’s done with her current opponents, she immediately redirects her attention to the old man.  
“Dammit, why don’t you ever listen to me?! Didn’t I tell you last time that you shouldn’t get into battle with your deteriorated vision?”

He sighs and points at her.  
“Don’t you start now! My vision is just fine! I am not blind, not yet anyway!”  
The cathar looks at him very skeptically and then indicates the people she just knocked down on the ground, ones who were flanking him.  
“…I was only giving the young fools an opportunity! They were doing so poorly up until now.”

She rolls her eyes.  
“Excuses again. I’m not going to be able to save you from every situation, you know.”

“Hey! I’m still your elder and I won’t be talked down to like this!”

“Then maybe you should start listening to me for once.”

A few blaster shots suddenly come flying in their direction, which fortunately misses. They immediately turn to see Vylor still being up and about.  
“I’m tired of hearing this shit! You’re both coming with us now, and that’s final!”

The cathar frowns at him.  
“Well, you were right about one thing, at least. These children are quite rude.”

While Vylor prepares to fire on her instead, she simply makes a swift movement with her hand and a rock which was hidden in the grass gains speed and altitude, before crashing straight into his stomach. He doesn’t even have time to evade, as he gets knocked backwards and falls hard to the ground, losing consciousness almost immediately.  
With the loss of their leader, and backup, most have now either been knocked out or are immediately fleeing the area.

HK does not look particularly satisfied on the battlefield, as the remnants of their foes are still alive and he knows it will not be approved of for him to execute them. He shall have to go to some less savory places after this is done and rectify his craving for slaughter.  
However, while he is distracted by that, he soon hears the thundering and hissing noise of a rather familiar weapon being drawn. Turning to face it, he witnesses a green color being emitted from a lightsaber, tip turned directly at him. It appears that the ‘sage’ had it stored at the top of his cane, and while the youngsters didn’t validate the usage of it, HK certainly does.

“Now then, droid”, he says with a much more solemn voice, “I think it’s time we discuss your motives for being here. Don’t recall inviting you to our house.”

Despite the fact that his intentions aren’t hostile, HK can’t help but be a little bit excited. He can’t remember the last time he was faced with a Force user like this, much less a Jedi.  
The cathar seems much less appreciative of this measure and steps closer to the old man.  
“Hey, what are you doing? You really must have gone blind by now. Can’t you see? It’s HK-47!”

The lightsaber doesn’t waver even for a moment, still being kept towards the droid. HK holds onto his weapon as well, but not towards the meatbag.  
“I can see just fine, dammit! That doesn’t mean I trust it any more than I do the little gang who attacked us. In fact, it’s probably worse. This droid has always been treacherous.”

The cathar rolls her eyes, shaking her head and knowing it’s useless to argue with him.  
“Fine, but let’s at least hear him out, shall we?”  
She turns to the droid.  
“I am actually quite curious myself why you would come after all this time. How did you even find us, HK?”

HK lowers his weapon even further, hoping to seem less hostile.  
“Statement: Jedi Master Juhani, old meatbag Jolee Bindo-“

“Ugh”, is what can be heard from Jolee.

The droid simply continues his sentence.  
“I was sent by one of my masters to find you, as she wishes to speak with you.”

Juhani suddenly appears thoroughly intrigued.  
“One of your masters? Who?”

“Clarification: Master Bastila Shan, of course, who is currently waiting on another world, in the Mid Rim section of the galaxy.”

These words surprises both Jolee and Juhain, who share a quick glance.  
“Bastila, she…she’s still alive?”, asks Jolee.

“After everything that has happened, we thought…”, Juhani says, but doesn’t end her pondering. It’s not needed.

HK nods curtly towards them both.  
“Admission: That is correct. Not only is master Bastila alive, but so is master Raekah. The latter has not made any inquiries regarding your status however, but she has returned to Republic space, or territories nearby.”

Being so shocked by these news, it takes a few seconds, but eventually, Jolee lowers his weapon and closes it.  
“That’s…damn. Feels like we’re really out of the loop. What’s going on? Where have they been?”

Following this notion, HK holsters his rifle as well, for now.  
“Confession: Unfortunately, it is not for me to give you the answers you require, but I am certain master Bastila will be ready to describe all of their journey up until this point.  
A meeting place has been arranged for your benefit and I have coordinates for you to receive. She hopes to see you there within a few days.”

Juhani doesn’t quite know what to say, feeling herself lost in a haze of emotions, and all she can do as a conclusion is laugh. She shakes her head and runs a hand over her face.  
“They’re alive. They’re actually alive. I wish they would’ve told us what was going on much sooner, but…I can’t be mad now. I wonder how much they’ve changed.”

Jolee has put the lightsaber hilt back in its place at the top of the cane and positions both hands at the top of it. He looks distant for a moment, lost in thoughts. There’s obviously a lot of questions that needs to be answered, but they won’t gain any of them by being here.  
“Juhani, can you start packing the bags? I’ll make sure we get some supplies sent our way.”

She smiles and nods.  
“I certainly can. And I’ll make sure to prepare the house, just in case we won’t come back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Didn't think I had forgotten about another two 'lost Jedi', did you? They're not going to have any major roles but, they will be in a few chapters._


	29. Mending the circle

Pleasant sounds of small talk, scents of newly baked bread, sights of vast blue skies and the warm taste of yarba tea on her tongue. Bastila can’t remember when she last experienced such a calming situation around this type of crowd, when she could almost believe that nothing was wrong in the galaxy. It has definitely been a few years now, since she was back on Halcyon with Raekah. Even during those days, everything wasn’t uncomplicated, but it had less of a worrying undertone, that feeling of dread in the distance. Then again, it’s not like she’s without concerns now as well, something that would be noticeable in the way she fidgets with the top of her cup. She is nervous and it’s not without merit. Occasionally, she glances out the window, but not towards any of the calming views in this lazy small town. She instead keeps her eyes out for two particular individuals, those she is meant to meet here.

Obviously, she didn’t come here without an escort, as Raekah refused to let her go anywhere without at least some backup. If Bastila had pushed, she probably could’ve ignored the request, but even she has to admit that it’s nice to have company. Well, HK-47 may not be the type of person that she would normally call ‘company’, but he’s here at least, currently guarding the outside of the café she’s sitting in. He’s simply watching the surroundings, making sure nothing alarming occurs within or without. He is rather talented at this activity, even if he too tends to draw attention from the citizens.

Eventually, Bastila sees something approaching, two people who fit the description she was given by HK before she got here. She feels both her excitement and anxiety rising, and when they look up, their faces are exposed from beneath their hoods. She smiles as she sees the familiar faces of Jolee and Juhani.  
They try to wander casually towards the café, but occasionally give the rest of the area vaguely suspicious glances, probably wanting to be sure they’re not being followed.

As they reach the outside of the establishment, Jolee stops before he walks past HK and knocks on his metallic chest.  
“You know you’re like a beacon for nosy people while you’re standing here, don’t you?”

The droid turns to face him.  
“Assurance: If that were to occur, you have my word that I will deal with the situation and make sure to remove those noses, if necessary.”

Juhani chuckles, while Jolee merely rolls his eyes.  
Now that they’re much closer, Bastila happens to notice something else, which she hadn’t thought of a second ago – Jolee is using a cane. When did this happen? He has always been fairly old, that’s true, but during their travels on the Ebon Hawk he was practically as vigorous in his steps as the rest of them. It makes her a little bit more worried, but she tries to tone it down.

Before they reach the door, Juhani suddenly increases her speed and grabs ahold of the handle, to swing it open. Jolee raises a protesting hand.  
“Wait! No, I can open it on my-“  
Unfortunately, she doesn’t listen and he is now free to walk inside without hindrance. He stops before going any further, sighs heavily and glares at her. In return, she merely smiles and nudges her head towards the opening.  
“I’m not feeble!”

“Yet.”

“Shut up!”

Bastila can’t help but smile, trying to cover it up with one of her hands. It seems their friendship have grown, and she almost thinks they appear as father and daughter. The difference in age would certainly work.  
Once they enter, Bastila rises from her seat to be more visible and waves them over. As Juhani allows Jolee to go ahead of her, he is the first to receive a hug from the other human.

“Jolee, it is so good to see you again after all this time.”

Despite his somewhat grumpy attitude, he does soften when being approached by her and permits himself to pat her back gently with one hand.  
“Not sure if you’re being honest, but I’ll admit it’s nice to know you’re alive.”

After that, she turns to Juhani, giving her the same gesture, and the cathar embraces her in a similarly tight fashion.  
“I’ve missed you so much, Juhani.”

“And I feel the same for you, my friend. It is truly a relief to see you. And you’ve barely changed at all!”

Bastila smiles amusedly.  
“Well, it hasn’t been that many years, has it? I don’t think any drastic changes would’ve been made during such a short time.”

“Mm, true enough. Perhaps I just expected more grey hairs.”

Bastila shakes her head and turns her attention to Jolee instead.  
“Are you alright? Do you want me to help you-“

He halts her before she even gets that far and waves dismissively.  
“Stop that train of thought right away. I can take care of myself.”

Both of them notice that he can walk without any assistance and he’s not incredibly slow, just has a little bit of a limp.  
Juhani folds her arms skeptically.  
“You shouldn’t shrug her off so callously. She was just being polite.”

Jolee sighs heavily and continues until he gets to take a seat on the sofas within the booth.  
“I don’t need both of you girls trying to coddle me. If I were that old and weak, I’d have bought a hover chair for myself long ago!”

The two women glances at each other and Juhani shrugs. They guess that they’re gonna have to accept his statement, as he’s not easy to argue with.  
Shortly after, they’ve all taken their seats and they order in something to drink for the two newcomers as well.  
“I hope you realize we have a lot of questions”, Juhani says after having a sip of some kind of tea.

Bastila clearly noticed that on their expressions, but raises a hand to stop any further inquiries.  
“Yes, I know what you’re thinking and there’s a lot to discuss, more than you may know. Remain calm and I’ll tell you everything. We shall have to take it slow, so that you can absorb it all.”

Jolee’s lets his gaze sweep over the booth again and also the nearby area.  
“Hmm, is Raekah here?”

In return, Bastila shakes her head.  
“No, she’s not. At least, she’s not on this world, but she’s certainly waiting in the same system. We will get more into that later.  
For now, let me tell you why the two of us disappeared. It is connected directly to Raekah.”  
  


* * *

  
It takes a little bit of time, but Bastila summarizes as much as she can about the last couple of years, from what they did before they left, up until the point when they returned, explaining the basic knowledge and assumptions about the Sith Empire and their leader that they’ve managed to acquire.

The two on the other side of the table sit quietly for a few moments, seeming to really be forced to contemplate what they’re told, just as she expected.  
Eventually, Jolee is the first to truly react, snorting briefly.

“It’s very typical of her, isn’t it? Running off and wanting to face everything alone, believing she’s the only one who can fight these types of dangers. Bet she thinks she’s some kind of superhuman.”

Bastila smiles, not even having to agree audibly. All of them know that they’re on the same page.  
Juhani’s expression is slightly more serious at this time.  
“Probably yes, but we have to admit that it was part of why we all followed her to begin with and why she often succeeded. Few people are like her.”

He shakes his head.  
“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean she’s invincible, something clearly shown by this…Emperor fellow.” He says the last part a little bit quieter, although there’s not a lot of people in here, certainly no one close enough to overhear them.  
“Is that why she wanted to return here, hoping to bring the team back together? I wonder if we’re really capable of defeating this tyrant in the same way that we toppled Malak. Seems like they’re on whole different levels.”

And now they come to another important aspect, one that Bastila wanted to keep until the end of the discussion about their looming foe.  
“Well, we do have HK and T3 back, and Canderous found us rather quickly, but no, our intention isn’t to reassemble the team. I wanted to find the two of you because you are Force users, but both Raekah and I believe it may be best to let Carth, Mission and Zaalbar continue to live their lives within the Republic.”

The two other Jedi are a little bit confounded by her statement, something she can both see and feel.  
“You don’t want the whole team? Won’t we be seriously outnumbered, then?”, Juhani asks.

Bastila smiles and shakes her head.  
“You might think so, but fortunately, we are not alone. At this time, we are backed by a new Jedi Order.”

Immediately as she says this, their eyes widen, a reaction she had expected.  
“A…a _new_ Jedi Order?”, Jolee asks, quite astonished. “Where did this come from? We haven’t heard anything about any other Jedi. Not since…well, you know.”

She nods back at him.  
“Yes, I know, and that is the point as well. They are keeping themselves hidden, at least for now.  
And yes, I can see the look on your faces. Don’t worry, I will explain how this happened.”  
She takes another sip of tea before she continues, making sure once more that no one is observing them. She does have confidence in HK, but he’s not quite as attentive as he believes.  
“Did you ever hear any rumors about an enclave being built on Telos IV?”

Jolee continues to look confused, but Juhani inclines her head.  
“I did. It was an attempt to build something new on that world, when Revan’s empire had turned their gaze elsewhere. Even though it was kept under a lot of secrecy, some of us found out in the aftermath of Malak’s defeat.”

“Well, after the end of that war, Atris went there, hoping to rebuild the Order that was practically shattered at this point.”

Juhani raises a hand, running a few fingers over the fur by her chin.  
“Jedi Master Atris, from the Council? Hmm, I remember her name, but I would not have thought that she would go to Telos. In fact, most of those who survived believed that the enclave there was abandoned.”

Bastila nods briefly, a solemn expression on her face.  
“Well, part of that is probably due to Atris lack of firm action. Apparently, she didn’t actually do much as your enemies were hunting you from the shadows, in terms of trying to unify the Order. She lingered too much in her own self-assurance and distrust.  
It wasn’t until someone else returned to the known galaxy – Meetra Surik – that things truly started to change for the better.”

Another name that seems to get a similar reaction, and Bastila can’t help but feel sympathetic for the two of them, especially Juhani, who truly believed in the Order. They’ve been lost for so long now, retreating constantly. She must be getting some hope while hearing these things.  
“Surik? That’s…that’s another name, I recognize”, Juhani admits. “She was General Surik from the Mandalorian Wars, right? One of Revan’s top battlefield commanders?”

“That’s correct.”

Jolee lifts his hand, running it over his mustache and beard. Apparently, he has kept it trimmed in the same fashion since she last saw him.  
“Wasn’t she exiled at the end of it?”

Juhani nods curtly.  
“She was, for her involvement in those events, especially the end.”

“No, that’s actually not true”, Bastila interrupts her. “Although, I don’t blame you for believing that, as it was the official reason given. The true reason they exiled her was due to what she had become.”

She sees how Jolee furrows his brow, somehow feeling that something bad is coming.  
“Explain.”

“Well, I can only give you second-hand information, but from what Meetra herself has told us, the destruction of Malachor V had a dangerous effect on her, and several others. The shockwave sent out from the usage of the Mass Shadow Generator, along with all the death surrounding it, were almost tearing her apart. Inadvertently, she stripped her own connection to the Force.”

Juhani’s eyes widens again, while Jolee’s frown deepens, both of them appearing deeply troubled.  
“Tearing her own connection?”, Juhani asks uncertainly. “That…that must have been incredibly painful.”

Bastila nods gravely.  
“It would appear it was, and the side effects of this event has not dispersed. A wound in the Force was created within her very being, which she still doesn’t truly know how to deal with.  
Some in the Jedi Council feared this, or at least believed that she was already dead and therefore felt that exile was the only recourse.”

Jolee places his fist hard on the table, clenched, and while it isn’t loud, it’s still enough to make a point.  
“Those blasted laserbrained fools! You’re telling me that they were faced with an event that we’ve never witnessed in this age, perhaps for the first time of any Jedi era and instead of helping the poor girl out, they tossed her away?!”  
He groans in frustration, running a hand up to his temples, while he shuts his eyes.  
“I’m not sure why I’m even surprised. The Council have always been shortsighted when faced with an ethical conundrum, thinking they can do no wrong and every decision they make is perfectly reasonable.”

At the same time, Juhani isn’t entirely certain, not wanting to be quite so critical.  
“I…I wonder why they never told the rest of us. This was clearly an important aspect of the Force. There should have been some discussions about it.”

They hear Bastila sighing gently.  
“You’re probably right but, unfortunately, Jolee has a point. The old Council was too stuck in its ways to be able to react to something like this with compassion or at least curiosity. They would rather send a ‘war criminal’ away, than find some way to cooperate in order to help her.  
In any case, several years later, she returned to this part of the galaxy, and was immediately targeted by the Sith Triumvirate. I assume that is a term you are familiar with as well.”

Jolee snorts.  
“We have, although thankfully, we never had to actually face them. Many others weren’t so lucky.”

“Mm, I have heard as much. Fortunately for Meetra, she had some assistance at the time and managed to gather more allies to her cause during her journey. There were some lost Force users who had never been located by the Jedi, mostly because of the devastation in the end of the Mandalorian Wars and Jedi Civil War. The majority of those individuals didn’t even know of their own sensitivity.  
By joining and listening to Meetra, they managed to learn and through this, found a path to fight back against the Sith, taking down every last one of them. They eradicated the threat of the Triumvirate.  
In the aftermath, they headed to Telos IV to rebuild the Order, taking ownership of it from Atris.”

Most of what she tells them is fascinating, even if it is summarized, considering that yet another war was occurring in the galaxy, but this time the scene was in the shadows. The rest of the Republic hardly seems to have reacted to the end of this threat.  
However, it is the final part which confuses them.  
“Wait a moment. They _took_ it from her? Why would they do that to a member of the Jedi Council?”, Juhani inquiries.

Bastila sighs, raising a hand to push her bangs away from her face.  
“Ah, I forgot to mention that part.  
Tell me, did you hear much of what happened during the events at Katarr?”

The two others share a glance, before Jolee inhales at the thought of that tragedy.  
“Oh, we definitely heard of it. In fact, we narrowly avoided it.”

She stops for a moment, realizing that she’s not the only one with a story.  
“Narrowly? What happened?”

Juhani folds her arms, leaning back in her seat, her own brow furrowed as well.  
“Once the knowledge of a hunt against Jedi had begun, things got very difficult for most of us.  
I had been promoted to Jedi Master at this stage, but despite trying to give them a lot of suggestions for how we should proceed, the majority of the Council were not particularly eager to agree with me. They mostly bickered and debated all day long.  
It was clear to me that we needed to do something drastic to counter this threat, something which affected all of us, especially as many were losing faith in the Order. Unfortunately, this lack of faith was infecting the Council itself, and they began to doubt that anything could truly be done to alter our course.”  
She turns towards Jolee, who’s mostly sitting and listening.  
“As it was rather difficult to get anything done, I sought Jolee out, who was sort of an…’associate’ of the Order. He was never very fond of being involved directly.”

He is taking a sip of his coffee at this point and emits a muffled chuckle before he swallows.  
“Can you blame me?”

Juhani smiles in return.  
“Perhaps not. In any case, Jolee and I shared opinions on what needed to be done and we tried our best to put in the effort of making it happen, despite the lack of support.  
When we heard of the gathering on Katarr, I wanted us to go, and we were actually about to leave with a ship, but Jolee stopped us at the last minute.”

They both turn to him, wanting an explanation, but he is distant for a short time, likely digging around in his memories.  
He exhales through his nose and runs a hand over his bald head.  
“I…had a bad feeling about it, that’s all. There was something wrong in the air, as if my gut told me that going would be a very bad idea. Turns out I was right.”

Juhani can’t do much else than incline her head in agreement.  
“I trusted his instincts, as I often tend to do, and we realized we had to go elsewhere.”

He takes over for a short while.  
“After the catastrophe at Katarr, we went into hiding completely. I told Juhani to sever all remaining connections we had to either the Republic or any other Jedi, as we couldn't risk it. We were hoping we could lay low for a while.”

Juhani turns her gaze down to the table, her hands enveloping her cup.  
“Unfortunately, that was not enough. During our attempt to flee and disappear, we were attacked by Sith assassins. Thankfully, due to our training, we could fight back, but we were not unharmed. I have some scars that won’t disappear easily, and Jolee was severely injured, his speed diminished.”

Once more, he waves in a similarly dismissive manner.  
“Sure, I almost lost my leg, but it wasn’t that bad. I’m still alive and that’s what matters.”

Bastila glances at him uncertainty.  
“You didn’t try to get it fixed?”

He laughs shortly, but there’s a trace of bitterness underneath.  
“And where would I have done that in the backwater world we ended up on? They didn’t have any fancy medical equipment. At most, they could’ve replaced my leg with a poorly functioning scrap metal one, but I preferred to keep my own. We made sure to apply our last bit of kolto, so I wouldn’t bleed to death and then we left.”

Glancing over towards Juhani, it seems clear that she’s not entirely proud of this conclusion.  
“With their deaths, we managed to go into hiding and hoped it would not be an extended solution”, the cathar explains. “You already know that it turned out to be much longer than we would have hoped, a situation that did not change until now.”

Bastila does not like what she’s hearing, truly feeling for her friends, that they have had to suffer for all the years where Raekah and her have been gone. What happened to their other three companions? They weren’t Jedi but, would the Sith have gone after allies of the Order as well?  
“Well, hearing this, I am more than certain that you won’t be pleased what I have to tell you next.  
Atris was the one who had called for the gathering on Katarr…and she was also the one who leaked information about it, to the rest of the galaxy.”

She is right in her assumption, of course, as it wasn’t a particularly difficult guess.  
“Leaked?!”, Juhani explained. “Wh…why would she do that?”

“From what we have been informed, she apparently hoped to lure the threat out into the open, so that the Jedi could take it down. Clearly, it backfired, as she underestimated your opposition.”

Jolee looks deeply troubled by these implications, while Juhani runs a hand over her mouth, seeming horrified.  
“A…a Jedi Council member would do something so foolish as allowing our enemies to ambush us? That’s…I don’t even know what to say.”

Bastila breathes out slowly.  
“And I don’t blame you. It is…a difficult scenario to tackle. For a time, Atris was imprisoned after they took ahold of the enclave, but Meetra eventually released her. She believes that Atris must to atone for her crimes in some fashion, by serving the needs of the Order, although it is still an ongoing debate from what I last heard.  
However, as you probably realize, there’s not much to the Order at this time and now with this new threat, they don’t have a lot of things to depend upon.  
Atris is in no capacity to lead anything, nor would they allow her to, and Meetra is the only person of any ‘master level’ expertise.  
The new Order needs experienced Jedi, who have wisdom that can help them think outside the box.”

She doesn’t even need to say any more, as Jolee is already shaking his head.  
“Dammit, I knew I shouldn’t have come here today. Should’ve suspected that you were going this way”, he mutters.

“Jolee, I understand that this is not what you would’ve wanted. I still remember our conversations about the Order and how you were not exactly-“

She doesn’t get much further with her request, which she was obviously working up to, as he holds up a hand to interrupt her.  
“Alright, alright, you don’t have to give me the whole speech. I get that we don’t have a choice, especially not with you weeping like this.”

Despite the horrifying things they’ve heard up until this point, Juhani manages to giggle at this little poke and then smiles at Bastila.  
“There’s no need to convince us, my friend, as we definitely would be willing to rejoin the Order back on Telos. We have been away for too long and feared that the Jedi were gone forever. It is…an odd sensation to consider that they were brought back without us, and even more strange to consider General Surik being the one to lead them, but she does sound like a better choice than most.”

Bastila’s own smile widens, not sure why she ever doubted them.  
“I knew we could count on you two, and your skills are definitely needed. Meetra could use another master at her side, Juhani.  
However, best not to call her ‘leader’ just yet. Even though everyone looks up to her, she’s not entirely comfortable being seen as the one in charge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I know that a lot of what they discussed here is like, common knowledge to people who played Kotor 2 but, I tend to enjoy letting people discuss events like this, to give their own perspectives. Also, hoping to make it clear that Bastila respects Meetra and isn't weirdly jealous of her or whatever, like she was in that novel._


	30. Returning to zero

Wandering through the empty corridors of the Jedi Enclave, making their way towards the ship hangar, Meetra and Visas somehow get the feeling that they’ve been entering this area unusually much in the past month or so. After the first months of solitude, when they were trying their best to establish some form of viable structure in the aftermath of the last threat that had them in its grip, they’ve then been visited by Canderous, some other Mandalorian clans, a Republic delegate and obviously Raekah and Bastila. It seems this won’t be ending any time soon, which is why they now have to wait for another ship to come landing within their facilities. This time, it’s somehow a little bit more nervous for them, as neither are all that familiar with the people coming here, but their visit carries a lot of weight.

Meetra doesn’t really know what to think. She hadn’t expected to encounter any more Jedi, especially not after the end of the old Council. The only possibility, in her mind, was if some padawan or initiate might’ve survived in some corner of the galaxy and would be expressing an interest to rejoin. But more experienced people? That seemed like an improbable result. Well, until Bastila called and said this was exactly what would be happening.

Her thoughts are interrupted by Visas’ voice.  
“Do you know anything at all of our arrivals?”

Meetra glances at her, although not really to determine her reaction. A simple mental poke will do the trick if she wishes to understand Visas’ feelings, which is why she can easily realize how they’re currently on the same page.  
“Uh, a bit, I guess. Can’t say I know much about Juhani, other than what Bastila said. If she trusts this woman, then so will I.  
As for Jolee, well…”, she lets the sentence linger for a moment, while she raises a hand to scratch her cheek in thought.  
“He has uh, a bit of a reputation, I guess. Or he used to, anyway. Some people spoke of his ‘blunder’ in the past, if you wish to call it that.”

“Blunder?”, Visas asks, while tilting her head curiously.

She clears her throat, grimacing somewhat awkwardly.  
“Yeah. There was a lot of…rumors regarding certain actions he took. It’s difficult to say whether he voluntarily left or was kicked out of the Order after that.” 

Shortly after saying this, she senses some troubling emotions from Visas through their bond.  
“I see. That is not particularly encouraging. Can we really trust someone like that?” 

Meetra smiles and shrugs.  
“I don’t know really. Maybe? I have hope, at least, as Bastila seems to like him. She only said nice things about him. Well, except for his attitude, I guess.” 

Visas folds her arms skeptically  
“Hmm. We shall have to wait and see, I suppose.” 

As they had already received news of the ship arriving in orbit, it’s not all too long after this that the vessel comes flying down, signaling for the hangar doors to be opened and then pushes forward to land.  
The duo on the floor wait until their guests have opened the entrance hatch, stepping out from the airlock and moves towards them. They’re greeted by the sight of a cathar in robes of brown and yellow colors, as well as an old bald human man with fairly neatly trimmed grey beard. His robes are blue and grey instead, and as the cathar allows him to go first, they also note the cane in his hand. 

Meetra realizes that she is expected to make the introductions and starts by smiling politely.  
“Hello there! Welcome to the Jedi Enclave on Telos IV. You’re some of the few guests we’ve ever had. My name is Meetra Surik. I’m uh, well, not the Grand Master or anything, but temporarily in charge.”

Jolee wanders up to them, but he remains silent at first, looking around with a skeptical gaze in his eyes. This behavior makes the two hosts rather unsure, as they don’t quite know what to do other than to wait for him to respond.  
“This paint job is kinda boring, isn’t it? Reminds me all too much of Coruscant, you know? Then again, Jedi tend to be the same, no matter where you go.” 

His criticism seems to startle them both and they turn to look at each other, before Meetra raises a hand to scratch at the back of her head.  
“Uh, I guess that’s true.”

From behind him, Juhani approaches and sighs disapprovingly.  
“Jolee! Try to be a bit more respectful. We are the guests here.” 

“I’m just expressing my opinion. Is an old man not entitled to that now?”, he asks her.

Juhani decides to ignore him and instead smiles at Meetra.  
“I apologize for his behavior. He’s old, impatient and has always lacked manners.”

This makes him slowly turn towards her, looking at her with surprise and mild anger.  
“…I’m standing right here, you ungrateful little brat!"

Meetra starts to laugh, offering her hand to Juhani.  
“I’m glad to see that you’re as understanding as Bastila mentioned.”

The cathar takes and shakes the offered hand eagerly, while inclining her head graciously.  
“For me, it is an honor to meet you, master Surik. Both Raekah and Bastila had nothing but praise for you and the rest of the new Order. We are very glad to see that it has returned.”

“Thank you, it’s very nice of you to say that. But, please, just call me Meetra. Very few use that title with me and I kinda prefer it that way.”  
Wanting to take the attention away from herself, Meetra gestures at her companion.  
“Anyway, this is Visas Marr. She’s a new member of the Order and uh…”  
She hesitates for a moment, not knowing if she should just tell them truth. They’re members of the old Order, or at least Juhani was. Would she disapprove of this? And would Jolee mock her? Best to keep it safe.  
“…my partner in terms of organizing the Jedi.”

“Partner?”, Jolee inquiries.

“Erm, yeah. We…we work together more than most of the others.”

Even as she says this, she feels how Visas’ gaze is upon her, probably very skeptical of the way she chooses to talk about this. As their visitors eyes them with interest, Visas decides that she’s not going to let Meetra get away with it.  
“I am Meetra’s girlfriend. Our bond was created before the formation of the new Jedi Order”, she says calmly and confidently.

Meetra feels herself getting tense out of embarrassment, especially as the two set of eyes before them immediately snap towards her.  
“Really?”, Juhani asks.

She sort of wishes that she had put on some kind of stealth generator by now, which would allow her to slip away and avoid the situation entirely, but that’s not possible at this time.  
Instead, she coughs awkwardly.  
“Uh…well…I-I suppose I may have forgotten to mention that. It’s eh, it’s true, yeah.” 

However, instead of any reaction she may have feared, Juhani smiles brightly, while Jolee looks fairly amused.  
“That’s wonderful to hear!”, the cathar exclaims. “I was uncertain what would happen in any new versions of the Jedi Order and what we would do about attachments, but hearing this now, I must say that it’s a very pleasant change.” 

Jolee snorts.  
“This really is the _new_ Order, huh?”

“Erm, that is true, yeah”, Meetra agrees.

Shortly after, Visas takes her hand.  
“And we are very proud of that.” 

Meetra glances in Visas direction, seeing how she faces their guests, trying to be as explicit as possible of where she stands in this issue. In a way, Meetra is glad to see that Visas is very adamant about how important their connection is. It makes her squeeze the miraluka’s hand somewhat in appreciation.  
“Anyway, would you guys like a tour? We’re still in the midst of renovating this place, but it’s been a bit postponed due to the mission we have to focus on right now. Still, as I guess you haven’t been here, it might be interesting for you.”

Jolee nods in agreement.  
“We will probably be staying here for a while, so might as well give it a shot.” 

They take their new arrivals out from the hangar and through the corridor that leads to various other sections of the Enclave, choosing to show them what recruits might be able to do here, if any join in the future. As they walk, Meetra looks towards them, wanting to explain their situation some more.  
“Like I said, we’re currently focused on trying to determine how we’re gonna tackle our new foe and therefore haven’t had a lot of time to change the actual structure.  
While we’ve had a bunch of guests as of late, they’ve been coming in fairly small groups. We prefer to rebuild in solitude. And since we’ve only got one engineer, work can be pretty slow.”

“How many of you are there?”, Juhani asks.

“We have a handful of members so far, which has made it pretty easy to give all of them specific assignments. Everyone has a role to play and each are being trained to wield the Force. Well, Visas was already quite knowledgeable before we met, obviously.”

Juhani nods, finding it interesting, but seems distracted by another question, one which arrives soon after.  
“I’m curious, is Atris here as well?”

Meetra raises a brow in mild surprise, before she nods in return.  
“Oh, yeah, she’s here. She’s currently assigned to work in the archives, under the leadership of a young echani named Brianna.” 

The cathar keeps her arms behind her back, her eyes momentarily distant and she looks hesitant, like she doesn’t know if it would be alright to ask or not.  
“Well, you see, Bastila informed us of what crimes she had committed in the past. I was wondering how you are currently handling this.”

Bastila hadn’t told Meetra anything about mentioning Atris specifically, but perhaps she should’ve expected as much. It’s not exactly an easy topic to discuss and those from the outside can’t be sure of whether they should criticize it or not.  
“To be honest, it’s still kind of an issue. Obviously, we can’t condone what she did and there needs to be consequences for it, which I’ve certainly tried to deliver before.  
For now, though, we need her expertise among our group and therefore, we can’t really let her waste away behind a force field.” 

When Meetra turns back to Juhani to study her, there doesn’t really seem to be anything which indicates that she’s here to argue about this decision.  
“I see. Well, I am certainly not here to criticize your choice, as I am merely curious. In fact, perhaps you would allow me to speak with her at some point?”

“Oh, sure, I guess that can be arranged. Just…keep in mind that Atris isn’t necessarily the most amenable of people in here. Dunno if you knew her in the past but, she is not the same person she was during her time in the old Jedi Council. Not exactly, anyway.”

They now walk past some of the training facilities, where Meetra and Visas both tell their guests how these places are being utilized, what alterations they hope to make and what they could possibly expect for the future.  
When they move towards the next area a while later, Juhani decides to bring up a similar conversational topic as before, although not the same.

“May I ask about the Sith Triumvirate? We heard that this group of yours were the ones who finally managed to take them down.”

“Ah, yeah, figured you’d wanna talk about that. Go ahead.”

Juhani crosses her arms as she tries to think back on the time she and Jolee were away, while constantly hoping they wouldn’t draw the attention of the threat in the darkness. She tries to keep this in mind while speaking.  
“It was surprising for the two of us to hear from Bastila, as we had been hiding; only occasionally scouting in a very careful manner for new information. We did not wish to attract attention and cause trouble for others, which is why we stayed low. Unfortunately, we heard very little of note. There wasn’t any word given to us about any new Jedi coming together.” 

Meetra smiles slightly.  
“That’s not very surprising to us. We worked in the shadows for a long time, as it was the only way we could proceed without running into too much trouble. These Sith were definitely not easy to deal with.  
We had to use unorthodox tactics and ways to solve the situation, which was made even more difficult due to the fact that we were infiltrated the whole time.” 

Jolee has kept silent for a little while, making it unsure to tell if he was disinterested or simply listening. Seeing how he snaps his head towards Meetra now, it seems likely that the latter is more accurate.  
“Infiltrated? By whom?”

“Well, when I returned to this part of the galaxy, I encountered a Jedi whose identity I was unaware of at the time. She stayed with us during the majority of our journey, hiding the truth the entire way.  
Her name was Kreia, one of Raekah’s old masters. She sought revenge against the Order.”

They notice how Jolee’s eyes widen slightly, probably recognizing the name. Perhaps Bastila didn’t mention her involvement then.  
“Kreia? You’re sure about this?”

“Positive.”

“What did she do? Why did she follow you?”

Meetra takes a deep breath, exhaling it slowly.  
“She accompanied us for the most part, creating a bond with me and attempted to help me back into the fold of the Force.  
She had been…resentful of the Order ever since her exile, due to many of their decisions, despising their lack of acting when they should have.  
However, this whole idea was, from the very start, built upon an underlying contempt for the Force itself. The Jedi was basically just…one of the symptoms, you might say.”

Jolee stares at her for several moments, trying to absorb what he’s being told. There’s disbelief in his eyes, as if he almost couldn’t have imagined this, but he doesn’t explain himself.  
“I see. That’s…quite disturbing to hear.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t an easy situation to deal with and we were obviously shocked by her betrayal. However, in the end, she was defeated, like the rest of those particular Sith. Even so, their actions live on in our collective memories. We’ll never forget what we went through, even if few others got to see it.” 

Very little else needs to be said about this subject, as all of them are a little bit perturbed by contemplating their old foes and how much damage they did to the Jedi.  
Visas is the one who finally decides to bring up something different.  
“I am curious about your status, Juhani. Is it true that you are, or were, a Jedi Master?”

Juhani smiles at her and nods sharply.  
“I was! In the old Order, anyway. Although, I have to confess that it did not last for very long. I was promoted only a year before the unfortunate events on Katarr. It felt good during that time though, and a lot of people seemed to respect and appreciate me, probably due to the fact that I was one of the few remaining positive aspects back then.”  
She sighs.  
“My hope was that I could help preserve the Jedi past those difficulties, perhaps make a new organization somewhere else. But, as you might have realized, I underestimated our foes.”

Meetra observes Visas in the corner of our eyes, trying to ascertain her girlfriend’s thoughts on the matter. She knows it’s a difficult topic and likely not one Visas will want to discuss, which is why she doesn’t do so now either.  
“Hmm, that is rather intriguing”, Visas remarks. “Someone with your skill and teaching experience, even if it is not substantial, would definitely be a necessary element here. Not just at this very moment, but in the future as well. We have few here of that capacity.  
If we were to inquire, would you consider staying in the Enclave?”

Juhani smiles in return.  
“Certainly! I would at least hope that I can. I still care a lot about this Order, even if it has changed and would like to do anything I can to aid it.”

“Well, we’re not gonna argue with that sentiment”, Meetra tells her. “If you really want to, you’re more than welcome to join us, as is mister Bindo.” 

Jolee suddenly appears to awaken from his drifting thoughts and snorts.  
“Hmph. ‘Mister Bindo’. Haven’t had anyone call me that for years.”  
While it seems he might become either grumpy or humorous, neither of these notions turn out to be true, as he chooses a rather solemn state instead.  
“Not gonna say that I trust this new Order to work any better than the last one did, though. I’m curious about some things myself, you see.  
Have you actually realized what type of change needs to happen to the Jedi yet? And I’m not just talking about putting some paint on these walls.” 

She inclines her head to agree with this notion.  
“Of course we do. That’s why we’ve already started doing certain things differently from how it used to be.” 

“Yeah, I noticed and I respect your nuanced way of thinking, Surik, but are you certain you know what would need to be done on a more profound level? Being a Jedi has always meant one particular type of concept, an ideal, if you will. How are you going to make this evolve from what others believe it should be?  
It is more than just the general attitude of this organization that needs to change. You may need to look upon the Force differently, analyze your philosophy in another way.”  
He faces the road ahead of them, shaking his head in thought.  
“A lot of people have lost hope for the Jedi, believing perhaps that a return of this Order may not be in the best interest of the public.  
For too long, the Jedi have been ‘perfect’, seen as the epitome of ethics and morality. When they break, everything around them topples and people’s opinions, their very nature, may change adversely. That view can’t be rebuilt, or it might damage us all.” 

His outpouring of emotions and contemplations slows their steps and makes them consider their own stances. Visas and Meetra won’t admit it out loud but, he may have a point, making them briefly question whether they are on the right track.  
“I…admit that I’ve observed similar opinions among the Republic”, Meetra says, “and it saddens me to think that we’ve fallen so far.  
That said, while I believe there is a need for a new direction for the Jedi as a whole, I also think it must somehow be rooted in tradition. We have to at least remember what we were, recall the respect, the hope and the safety which we inspired in others.”

She folds her arms, taking a moment to pause and reflect upon what her vision for the Order would be, or perhaps which path she hopes she can lead them into.  
“You may be right on certain levels. We can never truly return to what we were, not in that same sense anyway, as people have already witnessed our flaws in a very open manner. They know we’re not perfect and we never can be. No one truly is, right? We’re not different from them in this capacity. But we do need people to believe in us, so that we can help them.”  
She shuts her eyes and exhales heavily.  
“I gotta admit that I’m somewhat out of my depth here. Before I was brought back into this whole scenario, I hadn’t really been with the Jedi for many years. I refuse to believe that I’m the only one capable of knowing where we can take this group and I’m not its leader, so I can’t make decisions for them.  
All I want to do is help guide the Order, until I know that it can take its first steps into the new reality we’ve created. That’s why I’d much rather help people like Visas, Bastila and maybe Juhani take the wheel when it’s done.”

The other two women are both intrigued and surprised by Meetra’s opinion of the Order and its future, but Jolee looks amused.  
“Are you saying you intend to leave them behind after that?”

“No, not really. I’m sure I’ll still be around, no matter what happens. But the Order can’t become dependent on me…and I can’t become dependent on it. Life is more than that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Meetra isn't ashamed of her relationship with Visas, but she hadn't really spoken with any other Jedi about it, since it occurred (Raekah and Bastila doesn't count, for obvious reasons). It just felt somewhat awkward for her._


	31. Built to last

With the two new arrivals, the Jedi enclave has gotten even more busy and further steps are being taken to reach their current goal. Neither Juhani nor Jolee needed much in terms of trying to find their place, as they immediately seemed to realize where their skills and knowledge could be best utilized. It hasn’t really changed their course or speed to any exceptional degree and despite certain difficulties among the various personalities, most are still thankful that the Jedi might be growing once more.

For now, though, Meetra can’t really keep her mind on any future developments for the Order, as the most important aspect is what she and the others can do to stop their enemy from succeeding. Won’t be much of a future otherwise.  
To this effect, she often finds herself heading towards the workspace belonging to Bao-Dur, as he has been achieving most of the successful research so far, and he’s also the one she trusts the most when it comes to actually being able to find a solution.

As she wanders into his office this day, she feels as if something has changed. Is there more junk in here than last time? This would seem implausible, as she can’t remember them getting any new shipments as of late, unless he has been digging out materials from elsewhere. It appears as if scrap and loose parts always materialize out of nowhere in this section of the enclave and Meetra can never figure out the real reason. Well, she could ask, but she doubts he’d even know or perhaps not give her a straight answer. There’s something about the mystery that he finds amusing.

She locates him towards the back of the room, currently working on some kind of device. To Meetra, it looks like one of the parts belonging to the Ebon Hawk’s engine, but she’s not sure. Might as well be something attached to the weapons for all she knows. Mechanics has never been her expertise.  
“Hey, heard that you called. Got anything new for me?”

Bao-Dur is lying on top of some kind of hoverboard, which he initiates in order to slide out from under the equipment. He smiles at her and nods while sitting up.  
“Indeed, I do, General. Something quite intriguing.  
In fact, it’s not just one item of interest, but two fairly good pieces of news. I would say that one is more exciting than the other, but both involve our current focus in some fashion.”

Meetra smiles and follows him while he wanders over towards the terminal nearby.  
“Oh? You must’ve been working quite hard then, or you’ve been lucky. Either way, I’m all ears.”

The console is already on when they arrive at it, and Bao-Dur only needs to access a few specific folders to get to what he needs.  
“As of late, I have been in contact with some people over the HoloNet, trying to search for anything regarding the subjects of the cultures who developed special types of Force-related tech, as well as Sith and this Emperor individual. There have been a bunch of fairly curious objects that I’ve been able to attain, some that I’ve saved and obviously sent copies to Brianna down in the archives.  
Anyway, nothing on our main foe, but one of my associates, with more practical knowledge of archaeology, sent a few things directly to me.”

Meetra leans closer, placing a hand on the table when she sees how images of locations, artifacts and texts pop up. There’s too much for her to make any assumptions with just a glance, but it clearly looks old and interesting, almost a bit ominous too.  
“What is it?”

“These pictures are from an expedition made last year, with some of these texts having been translated at a later date.  
All of it is regarding a fairly interesting discovery of a set of ancient Sith ruins, on a world within the Outer Rim, far away from the regions where we’re used to seeing them. It appears they traversed the galaxy more than what some may have initially assumed and while a lot of this dates back to around the era of the Hyperspace War, some parts were even older.”

Meetra tilts her head curiously, studying the items and the pictures of the various ancient places, but the text is even more interesting, which she’d actually want a copy of for herself.  
“You think we can use this?”

“Well, it’s definitely not critical and I doubt anyone expected for it to be either, but this does contain certain vague descriptions of techniques and rituals utilized by the Sith. Well, the ancient Sith, but I still think that could be valuable.  
This could potentially be an advantage against the Emperor. Not necessarily enough to destroy him but, the more we know of what he does, the more we might be able to evolve the device we aim to build, in order to circumvent his powers.” 

He gets no argument from Meetra, as she inclines her head.  
“Yeah, I see what you mean. We should definitely keep that in mind. Obviously, Brianna will wanna see this too, so you should transfer these files to her, but I also feel it might be a good idea to let Raekah have a look.”

“You think she might be able to figure out more of their secrets?”

“Possibly, since she has dealt with dark side stuff a bit more than the rest of us. She’s no history expert, but I’d want us to get her opinion at least.”

Bao-Dur prepares to embed the files in mails being sent in two directions, before he moves on to the next part.  
“Very well, I’ll send it to her.  
The other news I wanted to talk about is potentially on a more crucial scale for the success of our mission. For some of these cultures we’ve been looking into, I’ve had to search through a lot of obscure places, as people have given me all kinds of directions I hadn’t expected. It’s difficult to get anything substantial on them, as it’s hard to tell which people are being truthful and which ones are simply trying to lure you into a trap.”

“Mm, I get what you mean. But you’ve found something you might trust then?”

Bao-Dur nods, but there’s still something cautious in his expression.  
“I have, and I do believe it could be useful, but it’s difficult to tell.  
Either way, I was directed towards someone who was very interested in my inquiries about the Gree. I don’t know this person, but as they seemed particularly intrigued by it, and enthusiastic to speak, I decided to hear them out.  
I never got anything solid from them, but they do appear to know more of who, what and where these people are, and does in fact have a potential way for us to contact them.”

Meetra widens her eyes slightly, but also folds her arms.  
“Are you sure? This sounds a bit too good to be true.”

“Yeah, I thought so too, but from the few snippets of information they provided, it does appear that there’s a fairly good chance they are telling me the truth.”

“Hmm. Do they want some kind of compensation for it?”

“Yes, but not in credits. All they asked for was that we help them deliver some kind of equipment to the Gree, and then take something in return when we leave.”

The human arches her brow skeptically.  
“Huh. That’s it?”

“That’s it. Well, from what they have told me so far, at least. I am still waiting for a response, as they told me that they would be attempting to set up a location for us to meet. Unfortunately, they could provide no ETA.”

Meetra smiles and shakes her head.  
“Well, it’s definitely better than nothing and more than what we had before this conversation. Could be that they have the answer for us, after all. That’s pretty exciting, isn’t it? Seems you were right about the Gree.” 

Bao-Dur nods, but seems somewhat ambivalent.  
“It is and that would be quite fascinating to find out, but it does appear that any situation involving interaction with this species might not be very easy. They are apparently very isolated and extremely secretive. They don’t trust outsiders.”

“Yeah, but that’s not new. A lot of people in this galaxy don’t.”

“True, I suppose. However, I don’t wish to take credit for this discovery. I mean, it wouldn’t be a discovery, as someone else already knew they were out there. On top of this, people had been discussing their existence on various channels for ages. All this does is provide us with a confirmation.”

Meetra smirks slightly.  
“Well hey, you could take credit for it now, if you wanted to.”

He looks mildly amused, but shakes his head regardless.  
“I will not do that. It would be unfair and dishonest. Besides, it might be that they ask for some kind of agreement of silence, if we actually do meet with them.”

Meetra raises a hand to scratch her chin in thought.  
“Hmm, yeah, I guess they might. Hadn’t thought of that myself. Oh well, at least it could be an interesting encounter, if it happens.”

“It will and I hope to be there with you.  
At any rate, I will have to speak with my contact some more and await their signal. Don’t worry, I won’t just sit and trust them completely without any intel backing it up. I already intend to send a few more mails out, making inquiries about this person, to see if they’re known to be honest, before we can ascertain the veracity of this claim.”

She puts a hand on his shoulder and smiles.  
“Well, I’m glad for you, my friend. I’ve trusted you to acquire the information we need and you always find a way. Good work.”

He returns a similar expression, somewhat proud to hear this, even if it’s obvious.  
“Thank you. I hope you don’t mind me saying that I might need some helping hands when we actually get to building this thing.”

“Hah, yeah, don’t worry, I’m telling the whole team that no one gets to escape their duty.”

She turns around to leave the room, but only gets a few meters away before he calls out again.  
“General.” 

Meetra stops and glances over her shoulder.  
“Hmm?”

Immediately, she notices how his eyes meets hers, much more solemn than previously.  
“Is something wrong?”, he says carefully.

Not quite what she expected to hear from him and therefore raises a brow in confusion.  
“What do you mean?”

“There is…an aura around you, of uncertainty, you might say.”

“What? Aura? Uh, not sure what that would be about, but no, I’m fine.”

His gaze continues, not convinced by the words she offers.  
“It’s your eyes; I recognize them. You gave me the same look and smile the first time I showed you the blueprints for my last great invention.”

The hesitation she attempted to hide earlier, now becomes more blatant. Can he really have remembered exactly how she looked that day? She hardly even does.  
“It’s…it’s that obvious?”

“To most, it might not be, but you and I have shared too much for me to remain ignorant.” 

Meetra doesn’t admit it, but she’s kinda annoyed that it would be so easy for him to see through her, although she’s pretty sure he has always been able to do that. Their friendship was on hold for years, after she left Order, escaping this part of the galaxy and yet as soon as she returned, he knew just where she stood again.  
“Yeah, I guess so.”

It’s hard to tell whether she actually do want to speak of this. There’s a lot of uncertainties involved.  
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I was only curious.” 

She raises a hand, scratching the back of her neck, breathing out through her nose. Perhaps mentioning this to at least one person might do her some good.  
“I just…I’ve been having doubts.”

“About what?”

A few seconds of silence passes by, where she slowly lowers her arms to fold them, trying to determine the direction she’s going to lead her thoughts through.  
“About…whether we can actually do this.  
The Emperor, he’s not just some nobody, nor is he merely a dangerous Sith. He swallowed an entire planet of life, Bao-Dur.” 

“Yes, I did listen to your debriefing, but this is not new to us.” 

She sighs, knowing of this fact, as it was part of where her doubts stemmed from.  
“Yeah, I’m aware. I know that Nihilus had similar powers, but he was far from the same, much more unstable.  
Vitiate, he’s…in a league of his own. He’s cunning, charismatic and dominating. That man or creature or whatever, he has his own Empire out there and an entire army ready to do his bidding. He has been manipulating the Jedi, the mandalorians and others for decades, maybe even centuries, only using his mind.  
How is a small group of Jedi like us supposed to be able to topple that guy? Or even nudge him. We might be able to develop some kind of technology that would be very impressive, but will that even make a dent on a monster like him?”

It’s not rare for Bao-Dur to hear her being doubtful. When they were alone during the construction of the Mass Shadow Generator, she poured out some of her misgivings for that whole situation, ones she wouldn’t tell anyone else, especially not Revan or Malak.  
“Well, Raekah does seem to believe in us.”

“Yeah, I know and I appreciate that, but I’m not sure I can trust myself in that regard. Besides, I think even she realizes that the obstacle we have ahead of us this time may be way too large to surpass. Vitiate is…a void. He managed to create an element similar to what I have, willingly, and delved right into that. The psychological strength needed for it is…I dunno, I find that terrifying.” 

Bao-Dur is quiet for a moment as he watches her, partially waiting for her to say anything further, but also to work on his response. The points she brings up are not unreasonable, after all.  
“I can see the dilemma you are torn with, General. It is a complicated scenario, which most probably would lose all hope for.  
However, I believe that we can’t let such doubt linger among us. We have to find our confidence, despite the opposition.” 

She looks down at the floor, snorting briefly while she shakes her head.  
“Even if we’re all doomed?”

“Yes, definitely. I have a feeling that you are underestimating yourself too much.  
This group we have built, it is…something else. It’s not like the old Order, nor is it like the Revanchists or the Republic.  
While it may seem kinda silly, I believe in this group, that we will be able to achieve the impossible. Your presence here is a big part of that, and I trust your leadership.”  
He offers he a faint smile.  
“This isn’t without merit either. Have you not done the impossible before? Have you and I not seen some situations that we were sure would lead to our deaths and yet we still remain?  
I’d follow you anywhere, General, even into the depths of the void.” 

Despite being reluctant, Meetra redirects her eyes towards his, seeing the confidence displayed within them. She’s not sure whether it makes her happy or guilty.  
“Sometimes, I wish you didn’t.”

He chuckles.  
“I understand.  
Besides, you can’t simply give in at this point anyhow, right? You have an important reason to fight now, in Visas. Quite a different circumstance from our war against the mandalorians; much more personal.”

The thought of her girlfriend does manage to bring a smile back on her lips, an actual genuine one as well.  
“Yeah, guess that’s true. We both probably have something to look forward to in the future.” 

This makes Bao-Dur halt anything else he was about to say, looking quite confused.  
“What do you mean with ‘both’?”

Her smile increases, instead growing into a small smirk.  
“You’re not gonna play the ignorance game with me, are you?”

“Uh…what?”

“Oh c’mon. You think I don’t notice what you tend to do? I’m more observant than you assume.”

He tries to remain unfazed, not giving anything crucial away.  
“You will have to be more specific, as I’m not sure what you’re trying to imply.”

“Tsk. Mister Rand – does that ring a bell, maybe?”

Bao-Dur shrugs.  
“I know of him, yes, but there’s nothing to talk about in that regard.”

“Oh, so it’s just a complete coincidence that you hang out with Atton a lot in private, ask to see him daily and being constantly concerned for his welfare?”

The engineer redirects his eyes elsewhere.  
“…it’s not constant. Besides, he’s the only guy in our group so far.”

“That has been true for the most part, but what about Jolee? He’s joining us now too. Gonna start hanging out with him in the same way?”

Bao-Dur sees her point here and how she’s sort of trapping him in a corner. He could escape but, the struggle might be kind of useless. Meetra, if anyone, would understand.  
“He’s…not my type.”

Meetra laughs, walking up to him once more and puts an arm around his shoulders.  
“Kinda figured as much. There’s no need to be embarrassed about it, as I had a feeling it might go this way. And hey, I’m actually happy for you. Both of you.”

He offers a smile in return and while he doesn’t say it, he is glad she approves.  
“Thanks. And well, I…would appreciate it if you did not discuss this with the others.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been getting a lot of that lately.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I did say this was the gay Jedi, right?_
> 
> _Anyway, I often like to compare Meetra's friendship with Bao-Dur to Raekah's friendship with Canderous. It's not quite the same, as I don't feel Bao-Dur carries the same romantic feelings as Canderous, but it's a similar sense of loyalty, trust and understanding. Felt like I needed a more extended chapter about it, which is what this was._


	32. Bright roots

Despite the peace that much of the galaxy currently gets to revel in, the things stirring underneath the surface is forcing a few people, who would prefer to enjoy it as well, to focus on their tasks in preventing future disasters. That said, occasionally, they do get to enjoy a certain amount of tranquility as well.  
Bastila and Raekah are still drifting with their ship around more remote regions of the galaxy, trying to stay away from any major population hubs, without having to completely separate themselves from such networks. From time to time, both of them tend to forget about the outside world, without even having to make an effort, which is something they can thank their son for. 

At this time, Bastila stands close to the little cabin that they have specifically assigned to Vaner and she waits outside, not wanting to interrupt what occurs within. Both of his mothers have been a little bit unsure how much they should focus on granting him objects to play with. Part of that might be due to their joint upbringing as Jedi, doubting the necessity of material possessions, but at the same time, some of those things can help with creativity and self-determination. 

This is why they have bought a few toys for him, which he does seem to enjoy. However, what he appears to like to do the most is use them to play with one of his few friends, T3-M4. The little droid usually tries to focus on helping to fix or monitor the ship, but that does not prevent him from accompanying Vaner every now and then.  
Today, the droid is trying his best to help Vaner with some kind of large puzzle pieces and place them in the correct order. Unfortunately, it appears the boy isn’t quite as interested in solving it as much as watching T3 move around. This is why he occasionally make things fall over on purpose, because when this occurs, T3 immediately rolls across the floor to pick them all up or nudge them back in the correct direction. In the way that Vaner claps and laughs, he obviously finds this amusing. He especially seems to enjoy the beeping noises T3 produces, probably due to not quite understanding the droid’s method of communicating just yet.

As Bastila watches it, she can’t help but quietly giggle sometimes, especially with how happy her son appears to be. She becomes so entranced by it, that it takes her a little while to actually notice how Raekah stands nearby, observing both of their reactions in equal measure.  
“Oh, hello darling. Came to watch the show as well?”

Raekah smiles and walks up to her wife, taking her hand and kissing her cheek gently, before moving to stand somewhat behind Bastila, wrapping arms around her. She gives the events inside the cabin an interested gaze.  
“He really likes to see T3 do all the hard work, huh?”

“Well, to be fair, T3 is pretty good at it. He seems to enjoy it too.”

“Mm, I guess. Not sure if it’s all that fair, though. All he’s doing is making it tougher for T3.”

Bastila snorts amusedly while she leans further back against Raekah.  
“Probably not. Feel a bit sorry for him to be honest but, at least he isn’t complaining much. Not very loudly, anyway.”

Raekah nods in agreement, while slowly running her hands over Bastila’s body. One hand strokes over her stomach and the other rests at her hip.  
“He has always been pretty decent with kids, probably due to his innocent appearance and noises. As soon as they start to understand him, they might have a slightly different reaction.”

Bastila smirks and glances to the side, in order to see her wife’s face better.  
“Oh, come now, he’s not that bad.” 

“Hah, yeah, I know, but he’s more than just a kind-hearted droid.  
I am glad that he and Vaner gets along, though. I believe having T3 around will be pretty good for him as he grows up.”

She doesn’t face much resistance from Bastila in that regard, and they both stand there watching their son cooperate a bit better with T3, once he has gotten tired of messing with the droid.  
“You’re right. There’s a lot of things he can teach Vaner, as well as keeping our son protected without having to worry he might somehow hurt Vaner.  
He’s definitely better than HK in that regard.”

“Hey! That’s…”  
Raekah is about to say she disagrees, but realizes she doesn’t have any good arguments when it comes to her son and HK’s personality interacting.  
“…okay, I guess you have a point. It is unfortunately true.”

Bastila chuckles and shakes her head.  
“Unfortunately, huh? You only say that because you’re a bit too proud of him.”

“Well…yeah. I mean, I did build him. He’s damn smart and good at what he does too.”

“…he’s also an assassin.”

“Yeah, I know, but a very polite and witty one.”

When Bastila turns her gaze towards Raekah, she’s both skeptical and amused.  
“He calls us ‘meatbags’, Rae.”

Raekah’s eyes move to look at her wife and then clears her throat.  
“…point taken.”  
They both feel like dropping the subject and instead focus on the little child which they share the most amount of joint love for.  
“You know, I’ve been thinking about Vaner and his future; what he might one day become when he grows older. It…both excites me and worries me.”

Bastila blinks in mild surprise and turns herself slightly in Raekah’s arms, in order to have a better face-to-face conversation.  
“Worries you?”

“Yeah. I mean, I was never really easy to deal with as a kid, from all that I’ve been told and can remember.”

Despite her uncertainty, Bastila smiles and raises a hand to gently caress Raekah’s cheek.  
“I’m not so sure why that would worry you. Look what you eventually grew into and managed to accomplish. I would say any unfortunate notions in your childhood haven’t adversely affected that.”

Raekah shakes her head, but can’t immediately disagree.  
“Tsk…yeah, but you didn’t know me as a kid.”

“True, but I’ve heard stories.  
That said, I would certainly relish the opportunity to hear some of those stories from the perspective of the source herself.”

Raekah faces her wife, looking into Bastila’s gentle eyes, before she nods and agrees.  
“I don’t remember all of it, of course, but I do have some interesting memories from back then.  
Like, I can still recall how I was taught by Kreia when I was young.”

“Your first teacher?”

She nods briefly to confirm it, while her eyes appear to drift away.  
“Yeah. She was strange to have at that time, though, especially since I had just entered the Order back then and was being guided through the usage of the Force.  
Kreia was definitely good at what she did and she knew how to affect people’s minds, especially of the younger kind, but her skills with kids in general could be questioned. Well, not like she’s the only one. The entire Order’s ability to deal with children is doubtful.”

Bastila snorts briefly and shrugs.  
“You’ll get no argument from me. You do speak of her as if she was particularly bad at it, though.”

“Hmm, not sure ‘bad’ is the right word. She wasn’t horrible or cruel in any way, just…strange.  
I think the most annoying aspect was probably all her cryptic metaphors and stories focusing on intricate dilemmas, which she especially tried to pose to me. It got annoying because sometimes when you really thought you knew what she meant, it showed that this wasn’t at all the purpose of her tale, but she had made you believe it was. When she later tried to tell a different but similar one, where I dug into all of its possible hidden secrets, the message was instead obvious and I failed by trying too hard. Think she liked to just mess with us.”  
She exhales and shakes her head.  
“Sometimes, I also didn’t know if she was talking about a real or fictional situation, and Kreia seemed to like the fact that I didn’t. She warned me and many others of what might happen in the future, the consequences of our actions and how to deal with them. However, the conclusion of those warning wasn’t necessarily ‘try to be good’, but ‘try to think ahead’, which could mean a multitude of things.”

The two of them have never really spoken of Kreia in much detail, as Raekah have obviously still had problems with her memories and therefore has hesitated to attempt to go much into them, not being sure if they were real or not. However, by hearing this now, Bastila feels quite surprised that her wife would have interacted with this type of teacher.  
“Wow. I’m…not sure what to say. Wouldn’t have expected that someone like her managed to make it into the Jedi.”

Raekah smiles.  
“Well, the Order has always been more diverse than you might expect. Besides, Kreia was a fairly moderate person and thought that one should always act within balance. She condoned neither completely selfless acts, nor cruel ones. However, she didn’t think inaction was reasonable either, as fighting could be necessary in certain situations.”  
For a moment, she appears somewhat embarrassed, raising a hand to scratch her own cheek.  
“Sometimes, though, because I was such an annoying kid, I used to try to do the opposite of what she told me. She gave me some ethical or moral conundrum to ponder, and I deliberately tried to fail them.  
To me, it was pretty surprising when she then didn’t get angry.”

“Well, she was a Jedi; of course, she wouldn’t get angry. Even if she did, she likely hid her emotions.”

Raekah shakes her head.  
“No, no, that’s not it. Instead, she tended to be…amused, when I did that. Whenever I actually seemed to not get it, or struggled to but failed anyhow, that is when she had to lecture me, sometimes reprimand me in some fashion for not thinking the situation through. When I deliberately tried to break it, she found that fascinating.”  
She smiles.  
“I think Kreia probably liked the way I attempted to get around the problem, either questioning or challenging them.  
Thinking back on those times now, I guess it’s possible that she was glad I actually recognized the issue and yet chose to pose a different scenario. I didn’t understand this back then, obviously.”

Bastila listens to Raekah speaking of her past with interest. It makes her fascinated to consider how different their experiences with the Order were, and how she regrets not being given the chance to meet with this Jedi. Not as far as she can remember, anyway. Then again, the likelihood of Bastila arguing with this woman seems pretty high.  
“Perhaps that is what Kreia’s legacy has been for you? To always be skeptical of what you’re told, no matter what.”

It’s not such a strange notion for her and Raekah nods curtly.  
“Yeah, that’s possible. Although, it’s hard to tell how positive it has been.  
When I grew older, it got worse, especially in my teenage years. I went from playfully questioning such concepts, to openly challenging some of the Order’s beliefs. It’s not like this is a bad idea per se, but sometimes it could get…zealous.”

This brings a smirk to Bastila’s lips and she rolls her eyes.  
“Yes, I know. I remember it all too well. I saw some of those talks you had in our open areas, you know. I was even there arguing against you a couple of times.”

Raekah shifts her gaze towards Bastila and looks surprised.  
“Wait, really? I don’t remember that.”

Bastila chuckles.  
“I’m not surprised. Back then, I wasn’t anyone special, merely one of the young students, while you were a Padawan, quickly growing into a Knight.  
You remember the debate about implementation of further droids earlier in the stages of Jedi initiate training? You were pretty adamant about that.”

A memory pops into Raekah’s mind, as if coming out of nowhere. She clears her throat and looks fairly embarrassed.  
“…shit. Hadn’t thought of that one in ages.”

“Hah! Some believed you were so passionate about it that you were calling for droids to be able to become Jedi.”

“Well…I mean, it is, theoretically, a possibility. With the development of mechanical constructions, I still believe it’s inevitable that they will eventually reach the stage where they-“  
She glances towards Bastila, seeing how the other woman is almost grinning. Raekah sighs.  
“…dammit, I wasn’t planning on starting this again.”

This time, Bastila emits a proper laugh as she leans against her wife.  
“It’s alright, dear. I love that passion of yours and I’m not saying you’re wrong either. It’s just fun to think about how long you’ve had this.”

Even if she does, Raekah doesn’t seem quite as comfortable with it.  
“Well…yeah, I guess. But since you saw me back then and what I used to do, you must know what I’m talking about. That is who I hope our son won’t become. It’d mean that he would probably get into all sorts of trouble, just like I did and by now, perhaps the galaxy has had enough of it.”

Whether Bastila agrees or not, she doesn’t inform Raekah, as she feels it might be reasonable to move on from thoughts of consequences.  
“Hey, do you ever consider the alternative?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, as in, if you hadn’t been Force sensitive. What do you think your life would’ve looked like? What would you have wanted to become instead?”

Raekah raises a hand, running it through her own hair as she considers the query.  
“Wow, uh…I don’t even know. Pretty tough question, actually.  
I mean, it is difficult to determine, as I might be an entirely different person but, I have always had a knack for machinery.  
I guess becoming a technician or mechanic is pretty plausible? I’ve always found building stuff to be fun, especially droids.”

Bastila smiles and shakes her head.  
“Why am I not surprised? Not after all I’ve seen so far, anyway. It is pretty fun to consider the idea of you having your own droid selling shop or something similar.”

Raekah chuckles and raises a hand to scratch her neck.  
“Yeah, that’s true. Not sure if I would’ve had a shop though. Maybe one focused on repairs, I dunno. Could’ve also worked for a company and focused on technological development or something.”  
Her expression soon grows solemn shortly after.  
“Although, it’s probably unlikely that I would’ve ever met you, in that case. Not sure I would even want to imagine that kind of world.”

It appears Bastila enjoys this part of Raekah’s pondering, as she leans closer and embraces her even further, resting her head against her wife’s shoulder.  
“Nor would I.”

Shifting her focus, Raekah lifts one of her hands into Bastila’s hair instead, letting her fingers run through it.  
“What about you, then? What do you believe that you would’ve become instead of being a Jedi?”

Bastila has one of her hands running down over Raekah’s side, resting at her wife’s hip.  
“I’m not sure.  
Personally, I would hope that I might have chosen some kind of creative field, maybe becoming an artist or an architect. Sadly, I fear it is more likely to believe I would’ve chosen the path of a soldier. I have to admit the fact that I’ve always sought myself towards some kind of danger and the chance to protect others.”

It’s not too farfetched of an idea, and Raekah actually finds it quite funny.  
“Soldier, huh? Guess you might’ve been in some of the conflicts over the last few decades then.  
Just think, we might’ve had to witness the ascension of General Shan on the HoloNet news, leading Republic troops.”

Bastila laughs once more, burying her face further against Raekah’s body.  
“Stop it.”

What, you don’t think you could make it?"

“No, of course I do, but it is fairly strange to think about at all.”  
She opens her eyes, letting Raekah notice how they become filled with interest, perhaps even pride.  
“Pretty sure I could’ve made it to General, though. In fact, it’s not too unbelievable that I might’ve become the youngest General in Republic history.”  
Shortly after, it’s Raekah’s turn to chuckle instead.  
“What? You don’t believe I could?”

“I’m not even going to challenge it, dear. If you believe you could’ve broken the records, then I support your belief.”

She doesn’t say it but, part of her does think that Bastila might be offended otherwise. Bastila herself smirks and rolls her eyes, raising a hand to poke at Raekah’s nose.  
“You patronizing bastard”, she says playfully.

“Hey, I’m serious!”, Raekah insists, still with a laugh poorly hidden under her voice.  
“In fact, if you were a top officer in the military, I might’ve even considered enlisting, especially if you were seen on posters.”

The smirk on Bastila’s lips seems to grow and she shifts both hands to Raekah’s waist now, pushing her away from the entrance, so they’re out of sight from Vaner and T3, and only stops when Raekah’s back is up against a wall. She leans her face closer, letting them be no more than a few inches away and her nose briefly brushes against her wife’s.  
“Well, having my own private mechanic could’ve been pretty useful, I think”, she says suggestively. “Combat engineers are utilized fairly often.”

Raekah appears fairly eager as well, by the look of her eyes and smile. She raises her arms around Bastila’s neck, running her leg gently against the other woman’s.  
“ _Your_ mechanic, huh? Guess I wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course you wouldn’t. You never will.”

“Tsk. I do wonder how many kids we would’ve had in that scenario. More than we have here, you think?”

Bastila arches her brow skeptically at first, before her lips part to display a small grin.  
“Who says we have to stop at one in this reality?”

Raekah would respond if she could, but Bastila becomes too excited to listen. Their lips collide in a kiss that quickly turns from eager to passionate, as the two women decide to alter their location for a couple of hours, stumbling through the corridor towards their own room.  
Moments of bliss within the chaos can mean more than hope for the future, and they choose to cherish all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This has been another episode of "Claire likes Kreia too much as a character and villain, and therefore has to put small stories about her here and there". And yes, you could say that Jolee did the same thing for Raekah later on as well. I guess I just like the idea of old people confusing and testing her, no matter what age._   
>  _Oh, and Bastila/Raekah smooching, of course._


	33. The old card

While there is a lot of work that needs to be done among the Jedi at this time, there is no doubt that this can get very taxing and stressful, which is why Meetra often suggests that her team get some downtime and try to relax, in order to refresh themselves. This often means being alone, or possibly in pairs, but sometimes, like today, they also gather to have some fun together. Although, it may be that some question the definition of ‘fun’ in this particular endeavor.

At this time, Mira, Atton, Bao-Dur and Brianna are all sitting in one of the rooms that has been reserved specifically for various relaxation or entertainment activities. Games, music, holovids and some books are available through terminals and datapads, with the last category not having the same type of scholarly focus as the ones in the archives. The Jedi of old may not have agreed with this setup, but after being gone from the Order for so many years, Meetra has learned that such things can be very useful to find inner serenity as well. She also doesn’t really care what the Jedi of the past thinks in this regard.

A lot of the time when the group plays various gambling-oriented games, they tend to go for pazaak, but as Mira was tired of Atton constantly finding new ways to beat them, she suggested another type of card game instead, focused on attaining as high score as possible, rather than getting to a specific number. Bluffing and distractions are other tools that may be utilized, which the former bounty hunter was sure that she’d succeed with. While they usually try to keep it friendly, they have chosen to include a little bit of actual betting, using plastic coins to represent small amounts of credits.

They play for a few rounds and while Brianna and Bao-Dur aren’t doing very well, often losing quite quickly, it mostly leaves Mira facing off against Atton. In this particular game, that is exactly what has occurred yet again. Mira tries to read the pilot’s expression, observing what’s available on the table and then tries to call his move. Unfortunately, this round ends in a similar way as the majority of the session. Atton flashes a grin as he places the cards on the table.  
“Looks like things are going Rand’s way again! Who could've possibly predicted this outcome?"

Brianna glances at Mira, seeing how her companion is even more unhappy than last time when Atton puts his hands on the coins, pulling a fairly sizeable stack to him, adding to what he already has. Mira folds her arms and shakes her head in disbelief.  
“This isn’t right. You must’ve cheated somehow.”

He smirks rather confidently towards her.  
“Cheated, huh? Pulling out that weak excuse again? You shouldn’t be such a poor loser, Mira. Doesn’t look good on ya.”

Mira rolls her eyes.  
“This isn’t about what I’m like when I lose. I just don’t think we can ever win, because you’re using some kind of trick. I know your kind, Rand, and I’ve seen this shit before.”

“Yeah, ‘course you’ve seen it before. It’s called ‘being awesome at every card game’. Don’t worry, not everyone gets that and it can be difficult to see other people walking around with such talent.” 

“Shut up, you’re not gonna distract me with your nonsense.”  
Mira turns to look at Brianna instead.  
“You’re with me, right? You must’ve figured that something is fishy right about now as well.”

Brianna appears slightly overwhelmed instead and merely shrugs.  
“To be perfectly honest, I did not pay enough attention. I was too busy being confused over these ridiculous rules. They don’t make much sense to me.” 

“…Bree, you’re just supposed to agree with me when I ask you!”

Bao-Dur chuckles and looks at Mira as well.  
“I wish I could help you, Mira, but I must say that I was fairly distracted by trying to do my best. I have never been particularly good at any of these games, whether pazaak, sabacc or whatever else.”

Mira sighs in disappointment.  
“Dammit, you two are useless. Fine, guess I’m gonna have to admit that I don’t have anything on you yet, Rand, but that doesn’t mean I’m not right. We’ll play another game and see how it goes, but I’m keeping my eyes on you.”

Atton smirks at her.  
“If you say so, although I doubt you’ll see much else than my incredibly handsome face, like everyone else does.”  
Bao-Dur smiles and shakes his head.

Just as they’re about to deal the cards for another round, they hear how the door opens up and some of them glances towards it to see who might join them. Most were probably expecting Meetra or possibly Visas, even though the miraluka doesn’t really enjoy this type of activity. They have tried to coerce her by purchasing some pieces which would give Visas the chance to feel the value of the cards too, but she refused anyway.  
However, it is neither of those two and the one they see wandering towards them instead is an old human, holding a cane in his left hand as he closes the distance to the group.

“And what are you kids doing now, huh?”, Jolee says while watching them skeptically.  
“Is this what the Order sees as a suitable activity nowadays? Playing games and gambling? Things really have changed, haven’t they?”

Atton rolls his eyes at the slight intrusion and merely turns back to the table.  
“It’s not what they used to do, no, but compared to those old bores, we kinda like to enjoy ourselves.”

Jolee snorts amusedly.  
“Yes, I can see that. Bet some of ‘em are probably rolling around in their graves by now. Or in the Force, I guess.”

“So, what do you want, old man? Gonna stand there and complain about our habits or something? You’re probably gonna be pretty disappointed in that case.”

Jolee smiles somewhat mysteriously as he comes closer.  
“Not at all. You may see me as just some old coot, here to ruin your fun, but I think you and I have more in common than you might believe. Was wondering if you had another spot, so that I may join. See how you’re doing at this game and all that.”

All four of them look fairly surprised at his suggestion and glance around among themselves. It is obviously an interesting request, although not quite what they had expected to hear.  
“Uh, well, guess that would be fine”, Atton says, “but we don’t really have much space. There’s only four seats in this game. You might have to wait until someone drops out.”

Brianna suddenly stands up and pulls out her chair.  
“It is alright, you may have my seat, mister Bindo. I am not particularly well-versed in this game anyhow, and would prefer to observe.”

Jolee nods and wanders closer to sit down.  
“That’s very kind of you, young lady. Don’t worry, I’m sure I won’t be here for very long.”

Brianna switches location, grabbing a chair next to Mira instead, while the huntress shakes her head.  
“Yeah, pretty much. With how much Atton here is cheating, all of us will be going home without the credits we put in.”

Jolee glances at her curiously.  
“You play for credits?”

Atton smirks.  
“That’s right. Nothing big, though. Just enough for about a hundred credits in total. If that’s too much for you, old man, you should probably leave.”

The older Jedi stares at Atton for several moments, before he nods and puts his hand down into his coat’s pockets.  
“No, no, I believe I have more than enough.”  
Brianna helps him with exchanging the credits stored in a cred chit for some coins. Jolee studies them for a moment.  
“Hmm, interesting pieces, I guess. Looks like some cheap crap found in the lower districts of Nar Shaddaa.”

Mira chuckles.  
“Pretty much. Think that’s where Atton got ‘em.”

Atton shrugs.  
“Does it matter? They serve for our purposes and that’s all they need to do. Now, you ready to play or what?”

Jolee rests his cane against the wall nearby and leans forward over the table, inclining his head with a slight look of determination in his eyes.  
“Go right ahead, kid. Deal.”

They play another two rounds, somewhat trying to ease Jolee into the game and make sure he can follow, but it seems this isn’t really needed as he keeps up much better than Brianna or Bao-Dur ever did. In fact, it’s quite even and the other two will have to admit that he is pretty good. In the end, it doesn’t really matter much, unfortunately, as Atton takes home the pot once more.  
Atton grins as he pulls the coins towards him.

“Well well, looks like not even an old and supposedly wise man can change my luck. Not that I expected anything less. You need more than general wisdom to be good at cards.”

Jolee snorts.  
“There’s no shortage of smugness in your bag, is there?”

Mira sighs and leans back in her chair.  
“You don’t know the half of it. He’s like this all the time, even worse when someone new challenges him at pazaak. We had to put up with this for months on the Ebon Hawk.”

“Mm, I can imagine. Reminds me of a guy I knew once, decades back. Have you ever heard the tale of Darius Kirenno, the trader, gambler and general trickster scumbag?”

Most of them seem either skeptical or confused, making it obvious that the name does not ring a bell.  
“I don’t believe any of us have heard of this man, no”, says Bao-Dur. “But we would be interested in hearing the story.”

“Uh, doubtful, but sure”, Atton adds reluctantly.

They’ve started to deal for another game, but Jolee speaks while they play.  
“Well, he was someone I associated with in the past when I was doing a lot of smuggling, but calling him my friend would probably be going too far. He was a damn confident bastard too.”

“Wait”, Brianna interrupts. “You were a smuggler?”

Jolee looks at her and chuckles.  
“Oh yes, I’ve been many things in this all too lengthy life, my young friend. This old man has seen so many aspects of the galaxy that you might believe I’ve lived more than once.”  
He holds for a moment to observe his cards and one may notice that he is not particularly satisfied by the view of the furrowed brow.  
“Hmm, alright. Not a great start, I see.  
At any rate, I used to operate in the same districts as Darius within hutt space, as he always believed that was the perfect place for his type of skills. They also had less rules, I guess.  
The thing with Darius was that he strongly believed he had some type of social gift, like he understood the way of the galaxy more than anyone else. He thought even Jedi couldn’t compare to his wisdom. In his mind, nothing was impossible, if you just knew how to deal with people and manipulate their actions. Obviously, he saw himself as a master in this field and was certain that he could always predict exactly what someone wanted. I mean, from his viewpoint, it was practically a super power in the way he used to brag about it.”

Mira smirks at Atton.  
“Reminds me of someone I know.”

The pilot stares back at her.  
“Look who’s talking.”

“Hey, I don’t brag the way you do!”

“Oh yeah? Who’s the one that used to talk about how she has never failed a hunt?”

Mira glares at him.  
“Well, have I? Because I was one of the best in the industry, you know.”

“Case in point.”

Jolee clears his throat to get their attentions again.  
“Not that I wanna get in between your stupid little argument here, but I believe I was telling a story, which you rudely interrupted.”

Brianna nods in agreement.  
“Yes, I was actually fairly interested. Please, mister Bindo, continue.”

“Very well. Like I was saying…”  
He halts for a moment to focus on his cards again, scowling in thought.  
“Let’s see…I call that bet, by the way.”

“You sure?”, asks Atton.  
“Might regret it when you see my cards.”

“The round isn’t over yet, kid. Calling it.”  
He puts them down on the table for a moment, trying not to seem all too bothered by what he has done.  
“Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes, Darius and his powers.  
I will admit that his skill in persuasive methods could be pretty impressive at times. He succeeded in talking his way out of some situations that I don’t believe most Jedi would even be able to achieve. That said, he was far from perfect.  
Despite this minor flaw, I felt he was quite useful to have around and therefore chose to work with him fairly often. We completed a lot of jobs together and our success rate was higher than with most other partners I’d ever had. And then came the extraction at Sulahee Point.”

Bao-Dur tilts his head curiously.  
“Sulahee Point?”

“Yep. Not a very big or well-known place, except to the locals, I suppose. It’s a landing site for shuttles and minor ships near a town on the northern hemisphere of Nal Shaloch, a fairly popular world for people like Darius and I.”

Mira smiles as she moves a few coins through her hand, wondering how she should play.  
“Shaloch? Yeah, I’ve been there. Some sections on that world is worse than Nar Shaddaa.”

“I’m not surprised. That’s how it tends to go when the Cartel takes control.  
Anyway, the job was supposed to be easy, just a simple drop-off at night, with the two of us being accompanied by another shuttle, but things descended so very quickly and so very far that it’s almost ridiculous.  
While the rest of us were unloading all of the boxes we had brought with us, this huge and heavily modified battle droid wandered towards us. It was at least two and a half meters tall, wielding the biggest infantry rifle I think I’ve ever seen. Looked like it could tear us all apart in a second without breaking a sweat and we were all obviously ready to leave at that point, afraid it might belong to some kind of rival faction of our employers. It was pretty good and easy pay, but we were not about to risk our hides for it. That’s when Darius stepped in, confident as ever and told us he’ll get it straightened out in a second. We were skeptical but, hey, might as well give him the chance.”

“And you did not question it?”, Bao-Dur asks.

“Well, no, why would we? He had always succeeded with these types of scenarios and I didn’t doubt he was at least able to confuse the damn thing until we were done. Unfortunately, that’s not how things turned out.  
Took only about half a minute until we suspected that something was wrong by the sound of the conversation and how Darius’ tone was really nervous for some reason, even though the droid hadn’t said much at all. Then, out of nowhere, it acted. Instead of listening to his whole spiel, it just lifted one of its pistols and shot him.”

Some of them might have expected this end, but not so abruptly.  
“It just shot him? No warning or initial threat for him to leave?”, asks Brianna.

Jolee shakes his head briefly.  
“Nope. Just put up its gun and”, he makes his fingers resemble a pistol and then pretends to fire it, “right in his chest.”

“But…why? Did he do something wrong or was it not programmed to listen?” 

“Oh, it was definitely programmed to take in voice commands, but Darius didn’t really think about that and therefore attempted to use one of his normal approaches, being smooth, polite and self-assured. Unfortunately, he hadn’t predicted what kind of effect that had.  
Turns out that he accidentally utilized some specific phrase which triggered the droid’s attack mode and it therefore saw no need to even give him a second to adjust. Darius, in his arrogance, had not prepared for this kind of outcome before and it screwed him over. He was shot dead on the spot.  
Well, not on the spot, obviously, as he didn’t die immediately. He was trying to crawl away after the first shot, but it only took the droid a couple of more rounds to finish him off, once he was within our sight.”

“What did you do?”, asks Bao-Dur.

“The only sensible thing – dropped everything we were holding and ran like hell. The droid wasn’t even satisfied after taking down another one of our partners. When our crafts were up in the air, it got its rifle out and fired some heavy rounds, shooting down the other shuttle. Only mine got out, with several pretty gruesome scratches.”

The rest of the team merely sit there and watch Jolee for a time, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by nature and speed of the tale.  
“Wow, that’s…quite a story, huh?”, Mira admits.  
“Was there like, uh…a point to it?”

Brianna seems confused as well.  
“I am wondering the same thing. Were you trying to indicate that no one can have a universal skillset to deal with all situations or that there is always someone smarter than you? Or too simple-minded to be fooled.”

Jolee arches a brow towards both of them, a little bit skeptical.  
“Point? Who said I had one?”  
Shortly afterwards, he looks at the cards in his hands and his expression turns into a similar smugness they’ve seen on Atton thus far.  
“Ah, looks like your cards aren’t good enough, mister Rand. I think this round is mine.”

As the coins are pulled in Jolee’s direction, the rest stare at each other, unsure how to react. Atton looks fairly miserable, Mira and Brianna are perplexed, while Bao-Dur laughs.  
On the outside of the room, Juhani had been observing the entire scenario and shakes her head amusedly at Jolee’s approach. It seems he hasn’t changed much either.


	34. Purple bisectors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This chapter includes some of my own pretty poor attempt at writing a translated version of gree language. If you've read "Through passion's gateways", you will know I've done it before._   
>  _It's quite similar to the gree stuff in SWTOR and this means not only weird uses of color and shapes, but also quite garbled sentences. All of that is on purpose._

Slowly spinning through an endless loop in orbit of a Mid Rim planet, the space station Onkawa continues on its route as usual, and life within seems ignorant of what is about to transpire in certain sections of its depths. People get to work, shop at the stores, conduct business and go about their daily lives, while three robed individuals of completely separate origins walk among them. The trio look and act the same way as everyone else, except not having any real interest for the activities that most indulge in. Instead, they approach a particular establishment together, which appears as a café on the outside. 

Inside the building, they find all sorts of customers from various different species, none of them looking particularly interested by a few more pretty regular people, who should be wanting to get ahold of the same products as everyone else do. To keep up appearances, the trio does order something to drink, before one of them indicates that they should head towards one of the corners. It is in this section of the room where the real event begins.

As Visas waits and gets the beverages for them, Meetra and Bao-dur approaches the table together, seeing how an individual is already sitting there. It’s a non-human, that’s for sure, but also one of the reptilian kind. Meetra has met a couple of trandoshans during her time, but never really been associated with any. She finds them intriguing to interact with, although their society and many of their cultures tend to be somewhat strange. Reminds her of mandalorians in many ways, except the hunt itself is the reward, rather than credits.

The one they approach at this time has dark green scales, orange eyes and a few small natural spikes poking out from the top of his head, continuing down further along his back, or so they assume. He’s sitting in a pretty regular set of grey clothes though, looking more like a civilian than a hunter.  
Meetra leans against her friend and whispers.  
“So, uh, that’s the guy, right?”

The engineer nods curtly and puts his hands down into the pockets of his clothes.  
“That’s correct. Over mail, he was pretty laconic, but friendly for the most part. He is most familiar with me, so I can take the care of the conversation if you prefer.”

Meetra keeps eyeing their contact for a few more moments, noting how he spots them as well and then shakes her head.  
“Nah, I’ll do it. I don’t mind if you help me out, though, in case I handle it poorly.”

“Very well, General.”

The two of them wander together up to the trandoshan and stops next to his table. At the same time, he stands up to meet them.  
The first thing they both consider is how tall he is. His body may not be massive, but his height is definitely far above theirs, easily over two meters. His reptilian eyes scan them both with interest, before he inclines his head briefly.

“Bao-Dur?”

The zabrak nods.  
“That is me, yes. And you are Vichalu?”

“Correct. No other names are needed”, he says in fluent Basic, his voice being quite deep. Shortly after, he offers his scaly hand for the human.  
“And you are?”

Meetra gives him a friendly smile and shakes his hand.  
“Meetra Surik. Just ‘Meetra’ is fine. We have been looking forward to meeting you, mister Vichalu.”

“And I have been expecting you.”  
He gestures at the table, and they sit down.  
“I shall take you to meet who you wish to see, but I must give you some rules first.”

“That’s fine, but know that we have another companion here, who will also be accompanying us. It’s the miraluka by the counter. Her name is Visas Marr.”

“Yes, I spotted her with you while you entered. That is fine. Three is a good number.  
Know that the people you will be seeing are very cautious and skeptical of outsiders. Do not ask about their home or where they come from. Do not ask them to reveal themselves. Do not ask personal details. If the answer is vague, gently ask for clarification, but do not force the issue.  
They will let you speak, but with limits. Demands will be met with silence.”

At least he’s pretty clear about what’s going on and makes it easy to understand.  
“You seem to know them pretty well, mister Vichalu. How associated with them are you?”

The trandoshan looks at Meetra with doubt, before emitting a brief and muted hiss.  
“I know of them, but I do not work for them. Normally, I am a medic, but today I will be an instructor. For now, I would prefer that you do not ask further.”

Following his wishes, they nod and do as he say. The three of them wait another minute for Visas to come and place the cups down on the table, before Meetra proceeds.  
“So, how are we doing this? Where are they?”

“They are waiting in another room. We shall meet them there.  
Try to stay as calm as possible. If you have questions regarding what you hear, redirect them to me. Their speech pattern can seem…strange.”

Meetra arches his brow curiously, but Vichalu does not explain himself. Instead, they enjoy a bit of their drinks, allowing him to sweep the room with his gaze, before he stands up and gestures for them to follow. They approach an opening on the nearby wall and walk through it. On this side of the café, there’s a small corridor with a few more doors, none of them having signs or descriptions of any kind. They follow him all the way to the one on the far side, and he gestures for them to enter ahead of him.  
The area inside is rather scarcely decorated, with one table and attached benches for customers on the wall opposite the door, and some smaller ones with cups, kettles and electronical devices at either side of the entrance.

The first reaction they gain upon entry is a feeling of mild confusion from what they see. There is only one individual waiting in here and it’s very blatantly a droid. Not a typical one seen in the Republic, though, as this synthetic individual is not only built from some kind of black metal, but has colorful brightly shining lines running over the majority of its body. When the droid stands up, it is also clear that it moves way more smoothly than what they’re used to.

It greets them in Basic, but what it says is rather perplexing.  
“Greetings, green bisectors, I am Siat-iK, black acute to the masters of the Gree Enclave. This encounter is blue tangent. It is welcomed for purple vertex and future orange tangent.”

The tone and voice it speaks with is smooth and easy to understand, but the words make all three of them hesitate, immediately glancing towards Vichalu.  
“Uh…help?”, Meetra asks.

He shrugs.  
“I did say it would be strange.  
‘Green bisectors’ basically means strangers, but in a friendly manner. This droid is an assistant to its gree leaders. It hopes that this meeting will be useful for future business with you.”

“Right…  
And this thing will understand what we’re saying?”

“It will, for the most part, but the gree have programmed their droids with their own speech patterns, which is why it sounds strange to you.”

Meetra looks at him skeptically.  
“But…not to you?”

“I have spent enough time listening to it, that I have learned the most commonly used phrases. Dosh also has a similar way to describe things, in some of our dialects.”

“Theirs seems kinda overly complicated and unnecessary, but…”  
She sighs and then addresses the droid.  
“Greetings, Siat-iK. My name is Meetra Surik and I come from the Galactic Republic. I am a member of the Jedi Order, one of the few who remain. The two with me are Visas Marr and Bao-Dur, also members of this Order. We are part of its leadership.”

“The Gree Enclave conducts purple concave to all green bisectors.”

“Okay, uh, sure.  
Anyway, we are Force users, working with a focus on serene and tempered teachings for how to utilize this power.”

“Your yellow parallel is black shift. Are you ready to make interest in white vertex?”

Obviously, they look to Vichalu for clarification.  
“I think it understands the concept of this and also wonders if you want to negotiate.”

“Yes! Yes, we want to negotiate. I guess we can just explain it to you, right?”, Meetra tells the droid.  
“Basically, we are here to speak with your people – or your masters – regarding an…exchange of knowledge, I suppose. We are looking to develop a particular kind of equipment and have been searching for more advanced methods for how to do so.  
From all that we’ve observed thus far, the gree appears to have some of the most interesting technology across history. We have heard that your masters combine advanced technological solutions with the Force. Very few have been capable of doing that kind of thing and usually with disastrous results.  
It is our wish, if your masters would be willing, to work with them and perhaps develop this device together.”

The droid appears to process all that she has said, something which only takes a few seconds.  
“Affirmative. Upgrade is done from green bisector to purple bisector.  
This is a white perpendicular scenario. The possibility of blue obtuse is within reach.”

“They are calling you something different now, I’m not sure what that means. Upgrade would indicate a better definition, though.  
As for the latter, it’s saying that this is a difficult situation, which might make it hard to solve”, Vichalu translates.

“From what you convey, it is indeed true Gree Enclave have attempted orange tangent with previously included purple parallel. However, to construct white acute, the masters must have purple bisectors, which makes red parallel complex.  
Gree are without efficient red shift and therefore patterns to utilize orange bisector was approached. Unfortunately, such situation is not without indifferent green parallel, and it grow to enormous proportion of white perpendicular until yellow concave interfered. Language-form was dissimilar and therefore miscommunicate.  
For extended time frame, situation grew until developed blue nonagon, forcefully producing break of blue parallel and orange tangent erupted.”

The trio understands parts of what was just said, but if the word ‘miscommunicate’ means the same thing in their version of Basic, they can all see what the problem might’ve been.  
Vichalu proceeds with his easier to understand version.  
“Basically, what you said about their tech was true to a certain extent. However, gree are very rarely Force sensitive themselves, and even though they did develop Force-related technology, they needed help.  
Back then, they had some other species which helped them out. They were better aligned with the Force. Unfortunately, the other species did not appreciate the terms of the agreement after a certain amount of time. They kept asking for more and when they did not get what they wanted, most likely along with a lot of miscommunication, it led to arguments and, eventually, hostility.  
The gree could not mend these negotiations and therefore broke off contact with this species instead.”

Meetra folds her arms, but let’s one hand be lifted up to stroke her chin in thought.  
“Hmm, that does sound like quite a difficult scenario, yeah. I see why they’re cautious.”

Shortly after, the droid continues.  
“Gree masters could still have possible for purple vertex, but it is necessity to comprehend terms of white vertex.”

Vichalu nods, assuming they still understand the basic of this.  
“Guess you might know already but, they would be willing to deal with you, depending on what you can give in return.”

“Uh…”, Meetra says and shifts the location of her hand to scratch at her head.  
“Well, I dunno. What do you guys want? Resources? Credits?”

“If rewards are spoken for of orange tangent”, the droid starts, “gree masters prefer if being made in yellow vertex.”

“I do not need to translate this, because I already know”, Vichalu tells them. “Gree enjoy knowledge and information, mostly out of scientific curiosity. It can be societal, cultural, political, language-based or more.”

Visas faces Vichalu.  
“They find more value in information than material goods? The gree must be more culturally advanced than we expected.”

Meetra smiles.  
“Maybe, but it’s also possible that they just have different views than us.  
But yeah, we would definitely be willing to share information with your masters, Siat-iK. We can provide things regarding the Republic, the Jedi or perhaps even the Sith who used to operate here. We’ve got things of historical value regarding these groups too.  
If that doesn’t satisfy you, we would also be able to create measures of more direct cooperation. Maybe the gree would like an open line of communication with the Jedi? We could share such developments with each other for an extended period of time.”

The droid is mostly quiet as it processes what it’s being told, and this gives Bao-Dur an opportunity to speak.  
“If I may, I also have a proposal.  
I am unsure if your masters are interested, but I’m an engineer and would be glad to offer my knowledge too. If given the chance to study your programming, I could probably develop an upgrade to your language applications, which would better help convey the gree’s words to others who use Basic. Might help future negotiations.”

It takes another few seconds of processing, before it finally responds.  
“Confirmed. Gree masters shall utilize perception for white vertex. Hold.”

The droid turns around in the room and moves towards one of the walls nearby the table. There’s a panel next to the furniture which they hadn’t noticed before, and the droid inserts its fingers into a hole on it, which makes the device scan the user. A few seconds later, part of the wall unlocks, slides away and reveals a passage on the other side. From this opening comes two more creatures, very different from the synthetic.  
Not only are this duo organics, but also what they would assume to be cephalopods. Both of them have six long tentacles which they use to crawl forward quite smoothly, while the rest of their bodies are hidden beneath thick dark robes. There’s no visible mouth like on humanoids and they have protruding sacs from the back of their heads.  
Their eyes are completely black, although their skin colors are different; one is grey, while the other is closer to grey-green. Except for the robes, their bodies are also adorned with markings on some sections, creating all sorts of complex patterns, which the group can only assume are tattoos. There’s also a few visible mechanical devices plugged into their heads and tentacles. Cybernetic implants, maybe?  
Both of them are very short, no more than a meter tall.

The creatures look at the droid as it communicates with them in noises that the group can’t comprehend.  
Vichalu appears both intrigued and surprised, though and whispers to the trio.  
“This is unusual.”

“Is it? That’s…the gree?”

“Yes. It is very rare for them to ever reveal themselves, as they tend to prefer going through their droids. They are too skeptical of us. That they dare to show themselves here is a good sign.”

Siat-iK soon looks at them once more and gestures towards the gree while it speaks.  
“This is Administrator Addelk’k and Researcher Tinvel’k. The masters find your term black parallel.  
Blue tangent can certainly be made for this white vertex, but not all can be granted.”

“They’ll give you the chance that you wanted, but it does still have limits”, Vichalu translates.

“Purple bisectors, you will take as many of your numbers which is needed for purple parallel and shift towards access of yellow tangent, designated Heta’kin’t, for purple acute.”

Vichalu nods.  
“You will be taken to a colony, I believe, called Heta’kin’t. It is there your work with the gree will really begin. You may take as many as you need for the project to be completed.  
Like I said though, the amount of space will be limited. They still do not find you entirely trustworthy.”  
He glances at Meetra.  
“If you show how cooperative you truly are, I am certain that you will manage to find an accord. All you have to do is be patient and put the words in its context.”

Meetra smiles at the droid to begin with, before shifting her gaze towards the gree themselves and nods.  
“Yes, thank you. We agree to your terms, Administrator and Researcher, and we look forward to our future united endeavors."  
She also mutters something to Bao-Dur.  
“Let’s hope you can solve that language issue.”

As soon as they’re done speaking, the gree appears to be satisfied and leave, seeing no purpose in formal and lengthy goodbyes.  
Before the trio exits the facility altogether, though, Meetra addresses Vichalu one more time.  
“Thank you for all your help in there. Not sure we could’ve done this without you.”

“You likely could not. I doubt you would even have been able to attain a meeting with them.”

“Heh, probably not. We appreciate what you did. Although, I still don’t get how you managed it.”

He folds his arms and shrugs.  
“Several years ago, I used to be a scavenger in the Outer Rim, searching wreckages from mining vessels and the aftermath of battles between pirates, gangs and syndicates to sell. It was a dangerous job and I got into trouble.  
When my vessel was drifting and it looked certain that I would die, gree ships found me, took me in and helped me out. They made sure that I was healed and repaired my ship. I showed as much gratitude as I could and repaid them in the way they wanted. Since then, I have been trusted and help them out when they need me.  
This is why I believe it is good if you follow my instructions. The gree are not greedy, nor hasty, for the most part, which is why I find them so agreeable. Show no hostility, be willing to discuss all issues and they will do as you ask in return. You will gain what you hope to achieve.”

Meetra smiles and takes his hand once more.  
“I think you’re right and we’ll do just that. If we get any further problems though, can we contact you again?”

“Certainly. I shall make sure that my holo frequency remains open to you, if you should stumble into any obstacles. I wish you good luck, Jedi. May the Scorekeeper be merciful to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _And no, this won't go on for many chapters or anything. It was only this one. They will be spending some time on that colony, though._


	35. Affectionate boundaries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This is one of those chapters that took more hours to edit than it should have, because I'm not entirely satisfied with it. But hey, it's done now and I'm never gonna get it the way I want._

After having been directed to a district of the galaxy outside of their star-charts, Meetra, Bao-Dur, Visas and Atton decided to travel together, leaving the rest of the team back on Telos IV to both continue other research routes and handle any difficult situations that might appear.  
As a colony, Heta’kin’t isn’t a bad place to visit nor to live on, except for the fact that the atmosphere is a Type II bordering on Type III, meaning it’s very much recommended that they wear breathing masks.  
The gree on this particular world appears to have built various tall towers to live in, rather than large scale cities, leaving much of the environment alone. The blue, green, purple and red which the group saw upon descent seemed rather appealing for many reasons, but the gree has advised them to not attempt exploration, probably due to societal or cultural reasons. The Jedi are not about to get into any conflicts and therefore follow their hosts’ wishes.

Shortly after arrival, they were shown what type of laboratory they would be allowed to work inside, as well as some rooms for rest and privacy during their stay. To accommodate their guests, the gree have rearranged the air supply inside these quarters, making it easier for the four to breathe.  
It is in one of these rooms that Visas can currently be found, which she shares with her girlfriend. For the last few hours, she has been sitting alone, keeping herself busy with the items she received. While their space may be limited, the gree were gracious enough to grant some objects of interest, mostly in terms of artifacts being related to use of the Force or ones with particularly interesting design. They did offer some holographic items to utilize too, but they were not altered enough for miralukan usage, which made her decline.

She likely would’ve attempted to study these things for the rest of the day, but unfortunately, she is not given the chance to have solitude for such an extended time. There is someone else who clearly wants her attention, something she detects when a presence approaches from behind.  
Both of them know that Visas can sense her coming, but Meetra doesn’t really care. As she’s already sitting, the human places herself behind Visas, wraps arms around her waist and nuzzles into her neck.

“Hey there, lovely. What are you up to?”

Visas would sigh and get annoyed with the distraction, but she has to admit that it’s always different when Meetra is involved, as she actually enjoys the intimacy. It’s an emotion she hasn’t been able to deny since their first time together.  
“I am studying various artifacts and items of interest lent to me by the gree. They are quite fascinating.”

Meetra only gives them a brief glance, while her focus is on Visas. She kisses the miraluka’s cheek and entwines their hands on one side.  
“Oh? Did they tell you what they’re for, or is that part of the puzzle?”

“They informed me what some do, while others are up to me to figure out.”

“Anything interesting so far?”

“Yes. The old artifacts preserved from the time when their ancestors constructed Force research thousands of years ago, are very intriguing. They show a complexity of which can certainly be compared to rakatan technology and some of the most advanced piece of Republic design. In terms of the Force, though, some of these objects are rather…strange.”

Meetra tilts her head curiously, looking at the item that Visas holds. It’s like an assembly of crystals, hovering around a magnetic orb which seems to vibrate slightly. There’s definitely an energy surrounding it and depending on how Visas applies the Force, it changes shape.  
“In what way?”

“This one is an appropriate example. I believe it stored memories and thoughts, but they are…unclear. It is as if my mind is not compatible with their way of processing the Force or they utilize it on more levels than one. It might be that you must have the capability to use your senses in the same manner as these creatures, which is why I cannot fully understand it.”

Meetra raises a hand, pushing some of Visas veil to the side, only to reveal some of her neck. She leans closer and plants a soft kiss in that region.  
“Huh. That is interesting, yeah.”

“The problem is that this is merely one of many pieces which the old gree developed, but their society has seen many changes since that time and lost some of its former majesty. This means they are not quite able to comprehend it as much as they would like to be.”

“And you want to help them understand some of these items somehow?”

“Partially, yes. They are helping us, so it only seems fair that we return the favor.  
However, I believe further knowledge of the Force is of use to us as well. If I can make some kind of report for the contents of these artifacts, we could store that information in our archives. Could be useful for future generations.”

Meetra smiles, glad to hear that her girlfriend is willing to work so hard to help the Jedi evolve and to find challenges for herself to conquer, even when they’re so many lightyears away from home.  
That said, she doesn’t want either of them to get consumed by this. She does have plans of her own.  
“Well, that all sounds really fun but, wouldn’t you rather do something together?”

Visas does her best to not get distracted by Meetra’s touch, even if it’s not an easy task.  
“A recreational activity, you mean?”

“Sort of, yeah.”

She should’ve known. Meetra does sometimes get bored when it comes to doing these things for too long.  
“Meetra, the type of work and research we’re doing here is very important. We should not squander this opportunity.”

Nonetheless, Meetra doesn’t give in and smirks slightly.  
“Oh c’mon, it’s not like we’re gonna lose everything by having a bit of fun for a while. That would be ridiculous.”

She has to concede to this notion, even if she thinks it’s a little bit annoying. However, she knows how to engage in this game too, even if not as naturally.  
“Well, if you wish, you could sit down here with me and we can study these pieces together. I believe that would be quite enjoyable. When I received these items, I had not contemplated the possibility of two people discovering new aspects of them in unison.”

Meetra turns her gaze downwards, seeing the piles of ancient objects on the floor and she would be lying if she denied having any interest but, would that really be fun? Not the same type which she has in mind anyway.  
“While that might be…fascinating, I have another suggestion.” Of course she does. Visas should’ve suspected this.  
“I spoke to the gree droids earlier and they told me that they have a supposed wreckage of a fairly well-preserved and particularly ancient Jedi vessel here in the depths of this tower.”

Visas shifts her position so that she can better face Meetra, although does not actually move further away. She does still remain in the human’s arms.  
“A Jedi vessel?”

“Yeah, like, a spaceship that they apparently used long ago.”

She can see how Visas tilts her head, probably out of curiosity, but it’s hard to tell. This feeling is reinforced by the emotions she can sense through their bond, but there’s some skepticism floating around too.  
“While that sounds interesting, I am not so sure whether this is actually true. The Jedi never had ships, did they? Would that not have been ancient Republic models?”

Meetra merely smiles and shrugs.  
“I dunno, but it sounds kinda exciting, doesn’t it? I think we should take a look. Would also give us a chance to do some research, even if not the exact same type as this.”

This doesn’t exactly make Visas uninterested, as it would likely be a good opportunity to study a different type of artifact, but she senses there’s more to it.  
“Why do I get the feeling that you only do this as an excuse to get me away from this room?”

Meetra can’t help but laugh, before she leans closer and bumps their noses together playfully.  
“Okay, yeah, ya got me. It is true that it’s part of my plan but, it’s not exactly a scheme. We should be doing some fun stuff together! Especially now that we’ve got the opportunity.”

“This does not sound like an activity which you actually need my help with, though. You could study that ship on your own and then come back once you are done exploring.”

This makes Meetra smirk, somehow starting to realize that Visas is likely doing this as a counterreaction to her girlfriend’s excuse. Well, she will not be defeated that easily.  
“Ohh, I see. This isn’t really about us, is it? I know what your problem is now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re afraid of ghosts, aren't you? Must be.”

If Visas could frown at this point, she likely would, but instead Meetra merely senses some annoyance building within Visas’ mind.  
“Excuse me?”

“Well, you know, if that ship is really this old, it must be haunted, right? It’s okay, I understand why you’d be scared of this. It is pretty creepy, I’ll admit.”

Visas sighs and shakes her head.  
“That is ridiculous, Meetra.  
First of all, I know of Force ghosts already and they do not ‘haunt’ things. They appear through the Force to guide the living. Why would they be hostile at all?  
Second of all, there exists no other ghosts than those of the Force. There is nothing to be afraid of from spirits of the dead.”

Meetra continues to look fairly smug.  
“Sure, if you want to make such excuses for yourself, you certainly can, but to me, it still sounds like you don’t really dare to visit this vessel with me.”

She decides to turn away slightly and folds her arms.  
“You are trying to trick me and I will not give into your goading.”

The human leans closer once more, this time nudging her nose playfully at Visas’ cheek.  
“Aww, c’mon, you don’t have to worry, dear. I’ll be there to protect you against all the scary ghosts.”

“I am _not_ scared.”

“Oh? Are you completely sure about that? Come with me then and prove it.”

She shouldn’t really be so easily convinced, to let Meetra win these discussions without a proper struggle, merely because she knows exactly how to reveal Visas’ various reactions. It’s not like she feels it’s particular unfair but, she would like to be the victor at times too. Then again, if she gets to be with her girlfriend, what’s the harm?  
She exhales once more and faces Meetra.  
“Only if I get to dictate what we do tomorrow.”

Meetra displays small grin in return.  
“Deal.”  
  


* * *

  
The hangar they arrive in several minutes later has been altered in order to pump in more oxygen and make it more breathable for both humans and miraluka. This will definitely improve their chances to explore without getting needlessly distracted by their environment, and also help Meetra with the actual reason that they came here. She doesn’t explain or give any hints for this just yet, but it’s probably more fun that way.

The room has several things within, most of them seemingly being non-functional and either kept in some kind of stasis field, large transparent container or merely protected by force fields. It is the last out of these three which surrounds the craft that the duo approaches, but to their surprise, it looks very unlike what they had expected.  
This vessel does not even have close to a similar design to any of the long and flat Republic ships they’re used to, shapes which have been employed for centuries, perhaps even millennia. Instead, this is a rather weirdly designed pyramid, on top of another pyramid, as if both sides are mirrors of each other. There are two visible entrances on opposite ends, and each flat section of the ship has a circular symbol with strange unknown markings on top.

“What the…hell?”, Meetra says, her eyes widened in surprise.  
“I’ve never seen this kind of thing before.”

Visas shakes her head, being able to perceive it through the Force.  
“Me neither. There is definitely a presence of the Force around it, however. It aids me in not just seeing the contours of the ship, which I do with most objects, but also the details for the symbols on the sides.  
Did the gree explain anything about it?”

Meetra nods briefly.  
“Yeah, a little bit. They said that it was one of the many things that their ancestors found in the distant past. This one was drifting out in space at some point, with the people on board unfortunately having perished long before they arrived.”  
She gestures at the eastern side, where they see some rather large cracks.  
“The gree apparently gathered as much of the dust and broken pieces they could, to put it back together, but couldn’t find everything.”

“I see. Well, if that is the case, then it appears this vessel was engaged in some kind of battle before it was rendered non-functional.”

“Seems like it, yeah.”  
She glances towards Visas.  
“These people must’ve died in a horribly violent way. Can’t have made their spirits happy.”

The miraluka merely snorts and starts walking forward, towards a ramp that leads up to the entrance. This one looks different from the rest of the ancient metal, however, likely having been constructed by the gree.  
“There are no ghosts in here. Let us explore the interior.”

Meetra chuckles and follows her girlfriend as they both enter the ancient vessel.  
Within, the remnants of the Force are even more distinguishable, but not to any great degree. Even if the presence is quite weak, it’s unclear why it even exists. Were the ancient Jedi able to infuse their technology with the Force much better than the current generation? Was this ship special in some way? Or has the energy of the dead Force users merely lingered in a physical location?

No answers are presented for them, and they hadn’t expected any either. It does give them a chance to study the various items and designs here, though, which are also of interest. The walls are littered with symbols, ancient text and different colors which they don’t understand the purpose of. There are some pieces that they can only assume to be terminals of some kind, which obviously can’t be accessed at this time. However, these are not placed in any obvious locations, ones that might be expected. Instead of having a central command area, there are consoles positioned in random corridors or small side rooms that the duo sees no purpose for. Maybe Force users in this era did not use the same type of technology?

“Have you read anything about the ancient Jedi Order?”, Meetra asks as they wander close to each other through the dark corridors, illuminating their surroundings with a flashlight.

Visas doesn’t actually need any aid to see, obviously, and her head turns in various directions, as if she’s studying the walls they pass by.  
“Only a little. I have not had time for extended research just yet.”

Meetra nods curtly.  
“Yeah, guess you were never an initiate or Padawan.  
Well, I got to learn some during all of our classes in my youth. The old Order was very different, from all the remnants they left behind for us to study. They had many mysteries which we’ve yet to be able to explain and perhaps never will.  
It’s said that the Order was not as divisive when it came to the light and dark yet at this point, trying to understand all facets of the Force. I’ve heard tales of a planet called ‘Tython’, where the Jedi apparently were born or something like that, but it was abandoned at some point and all the star-charts to it have been lost. Might still be in the archive, though. I dunno how much Atris managed to preserve.”

While she talks, Visas wanders over to the closest wall and raises her hand to one of the symbols imprinted in it. She moves her fingers along it, touching the various patterns and corners of its length.  
“Hmm, I believe I have studied similar symbols as this one somewhere in our archives. It definitely could be a sign that this ship was crafted by ancient Jedi, but I do not understand why. What would be the point of building ships? And for what purpose? Do you believe this vessel had combat capabilities?”

Meetra just shrugs.  
“Dunno. Like I said, I didn’t really know much of this thing until the gree told me about it. Would definitely have been an amazing opportunity to bring it with us, but I doubt we have the space. This ship is bigger than the Hawk.  
We could grab a few scanners later, though, to record what we’ve found.”

Visas nods briefly.  
“I agree. This definitely needs to be studied further once we-  
…wait, ‘later’?”

That is as far as she gets, because she soon feels a pair of arms being wrapped around her waist, pulling her backwards. While this happens, Meetra nuzzles into her neck, seeming to get very excited once more.  
“Mhm. We’re not really in a hurry so, was thinking we could have some fun first.”

Meetra places Visas against one of the consoles nearby, letting her sit down, while Meetra herself spreads the miraluka’s legs in order to be able to stand in between them. She leaves one hand on Visas’ thigh, while the other is raised to slip under the veil and tugs gently at Visas’ hair. Before she can even react, Meetra pushes their lips together, putting them in an eager and yearning embrace.  
This wasn’t what Visas had in mind for their time alone, but she certainly doesn’t oppose it. She is much more amenable to this type of activity than she lets on, something which can be noted by how she instinctively rests her hands on Meetra’s sides. She does let the human do most of the heavy lifting though, allowing her to lead, while Visas responds.

Once she has had enough of this particular area, Meetra begins a journey further down, starting to plant kisses along Visas’ cheek, until she reaches the neck.  
While she tries to struggle with her own feelings on the matter, it’s possible to hear gasps and even some suppressed moans from Visas.  
“I should have known that this is what you were planning. You would not have invited me alone otherwise.”

As Meetra slips one hand in under the gap of the black robe, she smirks and nibbles playfully at the part of the neck she’s currently exposing.  
“Mm, true, you should. We didn’t have time earlier, so I got impatient. You’re not against it though, are you?”

Visas momentarily bites at her own lower lip, trying to suppress more sounds. She senses how one of her hands begins to run through Meetra’s long hair, finding the band which keeps the ponytail intact and tries to pull it off.  
“Of course not, but…could we not simply have done this on our room?”

Meetra chuckles, rising again, while putting a hand on Visas chin. She directs her for another quick kiss, shortly before running her thumb along Visas’ lips.  
“Maybe, but felt like we needed to try something new. And this is a pretty exciting place, isn’t it? Don’t think we’ve ever done it in a derelict ship before.”

She’s about to make a slight protest, but is interrupted by another quick gasp as she feels Meetra’s grasping hands on the lower half of her body. It’s almost impressive how easily she can get underneath the otherwise rather concealing clothes and Visas displays a very clear weakness to this touch.  
“An ancient vessel from the old Jedi, perhaps something that hasn’t been seen in thousands of years by any of our kind and you want to have sex in it?”

Meetra grins while begins to unwrap her own robes. She’s not going to take them off completely but, she prefers to let their skins to interact just as much.  
“It’s what they would’ve wanted.”

“I seriously doubt that.”  
Still, she doesn’t fight it, but invites the whole act, even if done physically rather than verbally.

However, as the two of them continue this pleasant act, they are interrupted by a noise which startles them both. It is not the fact that they may be discovered that gets them, because the noise comes from the other side of the corridor, towards the route that leads deeper inside.  
Meetra looks curiously in that direction, while Visas grips her partner a bit harder, leaning closer against her.  
They both reach out with their minds, trying to sense from where it originated and if something has been activated through the Force, but neither of them feel anything. A whole minute passes by, but there are no other developments, making them wonder if they simply imagined it.

As things calm down again, Meetra glances at Visas, feeling how the miraluka is holding onto her girlfriend harder than Meetra herself does. Her lips start to curl up in a sly manner.  
“Mm, that’s a very tight grip, dear. Did that noise startle you?”

Visas suddenly notices what Meetra references and immediately let’s go, leaning back against the console again.  
“I…was merely trying to protect you.”

“Is that so? By pushing deeper into my arms?”

“I know what you’re trying to say, but I was doing no such thing. You were merely…the closest thing I could hold onto.”

Meetra’s smirk grows even larger and she begins to push herself closer, making Visas lean back even further.  
“Hmm, that’s interesting. So, you weren’t even a little bit scared then? Because that’s what it seemed like to me.”

There’s a silence between them for several more moments and Visas realizes that she’s not going to win this one either. She lets out a heavy sigh and faces another direction.  
“…it is your fault. You built this entire scenario up too much and then distracted me with…yourself.”

Another small laughter is heard echoing through the corridor then, originating from Meetra and she embraces her beloved once more, putting a few brief kisses on Visas’ cheek and jaw.  
“Don’t worry, gorgeous, I’m gonna uphold the promise I gave you earlier. You’ll always be safe with me.”

Visas shakes her head slightly, fighting with the emotions of whether she should allow this or somehow plan her reprisal.  
“Does that include safety from your own ridiculous nonsense?”

“Why would I do that? It’s what you love about me.”

“One day, you are going to regret teasing me.”

Meetra grins, leaving one hand at Visas’ waist, while the other envelops her hand, once more intertwining their fingers. Their bodies are closely pushed together on top of the terminal.  
“Doubtful. You’ve never been particularly great at getting revenge.”

“Yet. You better believe I shall be planning one now.”  
Before Meetra is allowed any more glib retorts or prods, Visas captures her cheeks and pulls her in for another kiss. The miraluka wraps her legs around her girlfriend’s waist and makes sure that they no longer get distracted by words. Whether the old Jedi would’ve wanted their ship to be utilized in this way or not, doesn’t really matter anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, the pyramid craft was basically supposed to be a[Tho Yor](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tho_Yor), or at least a depiction of it. Just thought it would be a fun reference to make. Some women take their girlfriends on dates to the movies or nightclubs. Meetra prefers ancient derelict mysterious spaceships._   
>  _It's an ancient craft, used to bring the first Je'daii together in the distant past...and the two of them just did dirty stuff in it. Vrook Lamar must be spinning around in his grave (but fuck him)_


	36. Broken surface

_Breathe. She has to breathe._  
_The emptiness before her, the barren husk of a once potential home stands as a reminder and a monument to her failures, to the destruction and pain she has caused. The very sight of it fills her vision and burns itself into her retina, refusing her pleas of letting go. She tries to breathe in, to somehow get control of herself, but not even the air allows her any respite. It is filled with dust, small motes of the remnants that has been left behind, ones that enter her throat and stings her skin. As it is inhaled, the noises join the mix, infusing her with the one thing that will never leave this world – the screams. Terror, agony and hatred burns her inside, making her body vibrate, attempting to break her eardrums. It was all her fault._

 _She runs forward across the wasteland, struggling to get away, asking them to leave her alone. But why would they? She’s the reason they’re here and the only purpose that remains for them now is to make her suffer in equal measure, to let her join them in the fray. It is only fair._  
_Her only wish is to get them out, to make them stop hurting her and beg for forgiveness. A small pond is her one chance to be free and she stumbles towards it, practically falls to her knees by its shore and despite the echoes of misery that keeps rising from within, she reaches out with her hands and hopes for salvation._

 _When she peers down into her grasp, to examine the liquid, her eyes widen in shock, as she sees how it is not redemption, but blood. The blood of the fallen, the tears of all the injustice upon her soul. She tries to prevent it from entering, but her hands won’t stop, betraying her in a crucial moment._  
_Hope dies while it pours down her throat, joining the dust in attempting to choke the last of her essence, knowing that she at least gets what she deserves, despite finding no truth within._

_In her last moments, she gazes up at the skies, at the brightly shining stars so far away, but even this sight is tainted. The eerie green grid, the vortex she helped create, which has haunted her so many times, is the last mockery of her memory, letting her know just what they feel._

_“Let yourself be but a lingering echo, a long-forgotten disease. May you deserve the fate you brought upon us_.”

* * *

  
Meetra awakens with a startled gasp, immediately flying up into a sitting position and blinks her eyes vigorously. The blurriness within them is annoyingly disruptive, but she needs to remove it, to see where she is. Thankfully, while there is darkness in the room she’s resting within, there are no eerie green lights, nor is the air particularly heavy.  
She’s panting, sweat running down across her forehead. Her mouth is dry, her body shivering slightly and she’s way too warm, more so than she’s comfortable with.

Nightmares. She has had them for years, ever since the end of the war, but it has been quite some time now since she last had to experience any. She wondered if she might have endured enough of the pains and regrets of the past, but has constantly questioned if that can ever be true. Not after the things she has done. To let them return at such a moment, during the kind of stuff she and her friends are engaged in now, is probably fitting, even a sign.

She tosses the sheets off her legs, shifts their location and puts her feet onto the cold metal floor below. The bed is a nice and soft space, but she realizes that she won’t be getting any sleep for a little while now. She has experienced this type of thing before and she needs some fresh air, as well as time to control her thoughts, get them onto the right track. This can’t be done without a walk.  
When she prepares to get herself into a standing position, she glances over her shoulder and sees the person lying on the other side of the bed.

The calm and resting form of her girlfriend is always a pleasant sight, even more so from this angle. Most of her body is covered in the dark blue sheets they’ve been sleeping under, with the black hair lying loosely over her features, just barely reaching past her shoulders. It’s only in private that Visas removes her veil, the only time she’s comfortable with it. Meetra does not mind and enjoys being privy to such intimacy. The thought of the miraluka is usually enough to soothe her, but not at this time, unfortunately.  
Before she leaves, Meetra runs her fingers through Visas hair for a few moments, letting the smooth texture bring her some hope and serenity.

The corridors of the gree facility are eerily quiet, almost sterile to the point of being lifeless. Sure, there are shining and brightly colored lines across certain parts of the walls, floor and roof, just like with their droids, but there is an overall emptiness to their design.  
Meetra is used to some kind of noise from a device, whether it’s lamps, a distant generator, a ship’s engine or anything in between, but the gree’s technology is so profoundly subtle that there is nothing but silence. Perhaps this walk won’t help her much after all. She tries to ignore this sensation and continues to wander anyhow, letting herself ponder the future.

The group is still on Heta’kin’t, of course, as there are still many things to do. So far, they have expanded and advanced their research to fairly impressive levels, making the trip at least worth it from that perspective. Whether it’ll actually be a success in the end, no one can tell as of yet.  
She knows that there’s a few days left until they will have their final tests. It’s not like she wants to leave before they manage to get as far as they hope, basically until Bao-Dur says that it’s done, but she won’t deny her feelings, how she hopes this day will come soon.

They haven’t lived there for long, but the enclave on Telos IV is already starting to feel like home and not just due to the location. She misses the sounds of her friends and the ability to feel their presences. Atton and Bao-Dur may have accompanied her to the colony, but with their surroundings being so unfamiliar and rigorous, it is almost as if that warmth is being blocked.  
Perhaps she is simply imagining this issue, but it doesn’t decrease her notions of solitude. It truly makes her realize how much she has come to depend upon such allies, to embrace the need of being surrounded. Without them, it’s…

She’s about to develop this thought, to consider it further, but her mind suddenly reacts to something different. She senses some kind of aura in the vicinity, an entity. At first, she wonders if it’s simply one of their hosts being up as late as her, perhaps having similar problems, but quickly comes to acknowledge how that can’t be possible. It feels different somehow, not just due to the separate essence, but its strength in the Force. The gree did say that they hardly have any sensitive to this element, so unless they were lying or this is an outlier, there is something else on the horizon.

The closer it gets, the more unnerved she becomes, due to a very simple factor; this presence is…familiar somehow, even though it shouldn’t be. Can this even be possible? Is she still dreaming, perhaps, or is her body overreacting?  
Looking over her shoulder, she comes face to face with a vision of the past, a unit which should be no more than a distant memory by now.  
She stands there, just like Meetra remembers her. Brown robes enveloping most of her body, with a beige or pale-yellow shirt underneath, covering her all the way up to the neck. Her face is framed by the two grey-haired braids hanging down from either side.  
Despite being sure of what she’s witnessing, there’s another truth to it, as this individual certainly does not carry the same solidity to its existence.

For several moments, the two of them simply stare at each other, or at least as much as the old woman is capable of doing, with how the cowl covers her eyes. Not like she needs it, for Meetra knows how far that sight reaches, how deeply her comprehension goes. There’s at least ten meters in between them and yet Meetra is almost certain she can feel a breath on her skin.  
“Shackled to the duties of the Jedi once more, I see. It makes me wonder if anyone would ever be surprised.”

The same voice, the same tone, one that she has not yet forgotten. How can she, after all the things they experienced during those fateful months?  
Meetra shrugs.  
“Yeah, I guess that’s true, but this is the path you led me onto, isn’t it?”

Kreia does not respond, not directly anyhow, as she proceeds cautiously, following the route she has determined.  
“You do not appear to be particularly amazed, despite the circumstances.”

Meetra sighs and shakes her head.  
“I know, because I can’t be. Not after all that has happened.  
It does make me wonder, though, if you’re actually here or…”

As always, Kreia has no wish to indicate the truth so blatantly. She slowly wanders forward, letting the sound of her shoes echo throughout the corridor, instilling her student with further doubt.  
“Am I a spirit or merely an illusion of your memory? Our bond went deeper than your perception and it remains something you never quite relinquished.  
Was it by choice or obedience? Neither of us may truly know.”

Imitating the nature of a response, while not really being a response. There’s no point in getting angry, because it’s an attitude that Meetra has come to expect by now. She can’t complain after all she has had to endured. Not anymore.  
“Well, I suppose that the truth doesn’t really matter, right? That’s probably what you’d say.”

Kreia keeps moving in Meetra’s direction and she stands still, not trying to stop her mentor or get out of her way. It is eventually Kreia who steers herself along another path, walking close by, but not right into her. As the old woman strolls past her, Meetra glances down, trying to get a sign of her hands, but the arms remain hidden beneath the sleeves.  
“It appears you are still close to each of the crew members you once recruited, tutored and travelled with.”

Meetra follows Kreia with her gaze, seeing how the old Jedi stops not too far away, her back still turned to the younger woman.  
“Yeah, of course. I think I always will be. They’re important to my life now, to my progress.”  
She stops and contemplates her answer, letting images float through her mind and sees each of their faces. It is almost astounding how easily she can conjure such internal pictures of them, remember them with so much detail.  
“I feel like…I’d be nothing without them. Lost in the void.”

“You are wrong. You may believe in this aspect of yourself, but that is another section of your illusion, of the trap in this reality.”  
She slowly turns to face Meetra once more.  
“The manner in which you have used these affections of yours is inadequate, functioning as nothing more than a crutch. It is especially true of your perceived bond with the miraluka. These things, the lasting elements of such connections will eventually come to chain you, without escape.”

Meetra isn’t exactly sure how she should respond at first, partially due to a sense of uncertainty whether Kreia is truly influencing her or merely testing her.  
“That’s ridiculous and you know it. These bonds make me who I am, have helped to shape the person I have become. I can’t change that.”

“Such mindsets merely limit your potential, blinds you to the possibilities of another life.  
The universe is always in motion, a shifting reality which continues to expand and in order for you to evolve, you must mimic such aspects. There is no alternative, nothing else for you to gain.”

Knowing that it helps her think, Meetra starts to walk once more, slowly pacing back and forth through the corridor, with Kreia constantly facing her.  
“I dunno if I agree with such a belief. Does this mean that my life should always be fleeting, never finding comfort wherever I go?”

Kreia snorts briefly, although it’s difficult to determine whether it’s out of amusement or not.  
“Comfort does not have to be a static entity, nor is it a vital component of existence. The facets of truth provided by the galaxy points towards a degree of equal combinations, of managing all manner of states and emotions.”

“Well, even if you say that, maybe even believe that, I can’t see it as a viable way to live in any extended fashion. I mean, I’m not sure I ever told you, but it was the path I followed after I left the Order, constantly drifting from planet to planet without finding what I was looking for. It was…empty, bordering on meaningless. There has to be something to come back to, at least for me.”

Kreia continues to stare at her in silence for a few moments, before she turns away and moves on.  
“I see that you have begun to oppose the Sith, just as I foresaw. Perhaps not in this exact manner, but the facts remain.”

Meetra can’t help but arch her brow in mild confusion, not sure what her former mentor is trying to prove.  
“Well…yeah? Of course I am. Isn’t that what you always wanted? Did you not try to lead me exactly in this direction?”

“To lead, to guide and to illustrate are all separate aspects, none of which I would claim ownership of. It may be true that I stood as a beacon for your future, but was it truly an appeal or a potential warning?  
It cannot be denied how you have once more been thrown into a foolish cause, endangering yourself for very little necessity. You do not owe the galaxy anything, Exile.”

The words increase the doubts she’s already feeling and she is wondering now if she recalls their last conversation differently or if there’s a chance that she might’ve somehow misjudged the intent. Could she have been wrong? Or does Kreia appear now merely as an incarnation of her faltering belief?  
“Don’t I? Have I not caused enough harm with my actions?”

“The act of mending does not have to include servitude of any measure. This would be to misinterpret the result of said actions and your own part in the unfolding events.”

Meetra sighs once more, looking dissatisfied with the conclusion.  
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’ve never claimed to serve anything, nor do I want to. I simply follow what I believe to be the most meaningful path for a beneficial view of the future.”

“And what if the future is nothing like you envisioned?”

She has faced uncertainty before, difficult choices that needed to be made and when the outcome of such decisions was not what she expected, she faltered, lost faith and a sense of self. It has certainly affected the trust in her own abilities, whether she’s actually able to ever be on the side of good, or if her failures will remain as her only legacy.  
But is that really something she can accept? Should she trap herself in a cage of broken promises and shattered hopes, simply because of a mistake? It was a grave one, costing many people their lives, but she was not alone, not the sole responsible. And either way, does she not have an obligation to make up for them when the opportunity arises?

As she frowns, she turns to face Kreia fully, folding her arms in the same action.  
“Then at least I have tried, I’ve done what I can to help it in the right direction. I can’t control what those who come after me wants to do. They need to make their own decisions.”

There is a bit of silence after her response, one that can eventually end up in either route. Thankfully, she appears to have made the right choice here and Kreia’s expression softens.  
“It seems you have learned more than I anticipated.”

Meetra feels a sense of relief infusing her mood and her lips form a smile.  
“It wasn’t always easy, what with all the demanding methods you used against me but, some of them did stick, surprisingly enough.”  
After being satisfied with the retort, Kreia turns away completely and follows the side of the corridor she was already walking along earlier. Despite understanding what must happen, what she should see as a final farewell, she doesn’t think it’s enough.  
“Wait!”  
The old woman doesn’t immediately stop, but rather slows her steps. She does not turn, but tilts her head ever so slightly, to indicate that she is listening.  
“I…I’m sorry.”

“Never be sorry, Exile, not until the galaxy can admit the same for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I'm not particularly good at writing Kreia, but I knew that I couldn't go through this story without having at least one appearance of her spirit._   
>  _But was it truly her spirit or merely another dream? We'll never know._


	37. Guilt

One question that Atris often poses for herself is ‘why?’. Why does she continue to do this? Why does she allow this to happen to her? Why does she not just…end it?  
For quite a few months now, she has been working in the archives and most times of the day, she can be found inside that area of the enclave. It’s no different today and as always, she’s focused on a particular shelf, trying to rearrange the items stored within, based on a standard that she finds more suitable.  
All of it belongs to a long list of assignments that Brianna has told her to perform and she doesn’t see the issue. She has done this many times by now and she’s even starting to get used to following orders from the younger woman, even if it continues to annoy her.

It’s not like she has a choice though, right? This is apparently where they need her and there is no feasible alternative.  
Then again, others might argue that there’s always another path, always a way out of any situation, even if such a choice would either be practically hopeless or lead to a lack of possible futures. Some days, she wonders if that might not be the right decision, to end it all. At least she will have her freedom, no matter the failure.

She has to stop there and retreat from her current mental position. There’s a sense of guilt that burrows its way into her mind when she considers such thoughts, either due to the foolish nature of it all or because she knows another aspect of this fact; she owes them. Her sense of pride and doubt would deny this fact, dismiss it as nothing more than a weak angle, a convenient lie that she allows in order to survive, but they do not succeed. She simply cannot pretend otherwise, because to do so would be to squander who she was. Have they not given her a second chance to redeem herself? Have some of them not shown bravery and determination by enduring her presence, despite what was done to them?

It’s very rare that anyone approaches Atris, even if Brianna works in the same section. It gives her a lot of time to think, to ponder her life and what future she could possibly have left, perhaps too much to accept. However, today, she realizes that this will not be the case.  
From behind, she can sense a presence through the Force seeking to join her. It is familiar and yet one that is hard to pinpoint. It is a little bit strange, because she’s sure nothing else was on her schedule.  
It is not Brianna and even if it was, she’s supposed to be off doing something else at this time. The echani has kept herself very busy with coordinating all of the research that the team has been trying to attain and accomplish. Atris had been told that this responsibility was handed to Brianna when four members of their team had to fly to another part of the galaxy for some critical errand. She’s not privy to the details, unfortunately.

As the answer eludes her, she chooses to wait and puts down her equipment, wanting to see who approaches her before she makes any further decisions. When she spots someone walking around the corner, she widens her eyes in surprise.  
“Master Juhani?”, she asks as she recognizes the individual, even if she did not know her very well.

Juhani offers Atris a faint smile and an inclination of her head, more in greeting than respect.  
“Atris. I would call you by another title, but using that of the Jedi Council would no longer be true, I suppose.”

Very briefly, Atris instinctively scowls at the comment, before her expression quickly softens again.  
“You are right, of course. I wish it was not the case but, certain developments in the past changed the current situation of the Order.”

While this is what she says, she has to admit that irritation at this fact is present and practically unavoidable, another product of her personality.  
Being given the chance, Atris surveys her company, seeing how Juhani is dressed in a set of grey and beige robes, in comparison to Atris’ white. She’s not particularly knowledgeable about cathar’s age cycle, so she can’t tell if there are any obvious signs, but Juhani doesn’t look older anyway, nor has she changed her hairstyle much. It has been a couple of years, but not a lifetime, even if it feels that way.

Even if the color of her clothes is different, Juhani appears just as casual and confident in this outfit as Atris can recall. It’s an image she has wanted to attain or at least emulate. Most people always considered her as very formal and strict, which is of course something that she made an effort to build, but even if she attempted to indulge a relaxed state, others could never perceive her that way. She was the tutor, the historian, the Councilor, the professional.  
In contrast, Juhani has always given off the impression of a free spirit, a wanderer, an explorer, someone you can trust to be flexible and understanding simply by looking at her. And should she be a leader, she is not a frowning teacher, but a guide, with limitless wisdom rather than lessons.  
Or maybe this is all in Atris’ head and she’s overthinking it again.

“At any rate, is there anything I can do for you?”, Atris asks.

It appears that Juhani’s previous expression persists and the cathar keeps her arms hanging down from her side, hands hidden beneath the long sleeves.  
“I believe you can, because I am actually here to speak with you. I was hoping that we could perhaps discuss some of the events that led you to the enclave in your current state.”

Immediately, the hesitation in Atris’ stance is evident and it’s not without reason. She’s very well aware what this will probably lead to eventually and she doesn’t know if she can handle it. Hadn’t Meetra done enough? Or maybe she deserves such treatment.  
“Very well, I can talk for a while, as long as you do not mind that I work during our conversation. I have much to do.”

Juhani briefly shakes her head.  
“Not at all. I know how important the current activities among the Order are, but while I do not wish to disrupt this process in any way, you would not have any major issues with speaking at the same time, would you?”

“I…suppose not.”

While Atris turns her back, Juhani watches her intently and unfortunately, she has no intention to start gently.  
“I would like to discuss the events which occurred after much of the Order had ended and the tragedy that befell Katarr.”

The former Councilor widens her eyes, not having expected the conversation to descend into this territory so quickly. Is she aware what effects it might have on Atris or simply testing the waters?  
Either way, the human tries to remain calm.  
“Yes, what about them?” She’s glad to hear that her tone is satisfyingly even.

“Perhaps you realized the truth already, but while I was not present during the incident, someone else have revealed the facts to me afterwards. I have heard that you were partially responsible for what occurred and how you leaked the information of the meeting, leading the Sith directly to the planet. Is this true?”

Atris desperately tries to hide the feelings of shame and anger that quickly begins to build deep within her, even if it’s not quite as possible as she would’ve hoped. If they are allowed to erupt here, to control her, nothing will end well. It has been a while since she tried to recite the Jedi Code, but it’s an element she now embraces quietly.  
“I…was involved with that event, but not directly present in the system.”

Juhani furrows her brow and raises her arms to fold them.  
“That is not what I asked. Once more, I am posing the question if were you responsible for these actions, Atris. Were you behind the event? Did you leak the location of the supposedly secret Jedi Conclave? Did you let the Sith destroy them, along with all the innocent miraluka?”

The accusations hit Atris harder than she would’ve liked, more than she had expected. How is that even possible? Juhani was not a member of the Council, nor anyone Atris really cared for and yet hearing these words spoken by another Jedi, one that she has not had a feud with like Meetra, is almost physically painful.  
She takes several seconds to ponder her response, but tries to hide the impact the question had by constantly proceeding with her work.

“Yes, I was.” Last time she made this admission, she was practically screaming it at Meetra.  
“I did indeed provide the necessary information for that event to occur, but I had a purpose, a goal.  
I believed that luring the Sith into one location, especially one where a lot of Jedi were gathered, would be enough to turn them all into a single definitive blade and strike the Sith down, once and for all.”  
She pauses to sigh and stops by one of the shelves. Even if she tries to keep steady, her voice displays minor signs of wavering.  
“Unfortunately, as we both know, this was a naive and ultimately failed attempt, much to the dismay of the entire planet.”

Juhani takes a few moments to absorb this information, studying Atris as she tries to get back to organizing her work.  
“Do you feel responsible for this? Is there any guilt for having caused so much pain?”

The words echo inside the depths of her memories and spawns another when she least asked for it.

* * *

  
_“Heh, so you tricked me here, huh? You used tactics of deception and temptation, just like you did with the Jedi? When has that ever worked out for you?”_

 _Atris grits her teeth, clenching her hand at her lightsaber and aims it at her opponent._  
_“I did it for the good of the galaxy, for the good of the Order!”_

 _“Who’s going to know? Who’s going to thank you when everyone lies dead, Atris?”_  


* * *

  
She winces at the thought of it, of the words that sends discomfort into her chest and she quickly shuts her eyes, gripping the holocron she’s about to reevaluate a bit harder. She can’t let it get to her, can’t let anyone know.  
“Technically, _I_ caused none of that pain”, she says in a somewhat harsher tone than she would’ve liked.  
“I never attacked Katarr, nor did I want to.”

If Juhani has noticed what occurred to Atris, she does not let the other Jedi know.  
“That is just semantics, isn’t it? One that people have for too long debated the truth of. Who is to blame if someone is shot to death, the gun or the wielder?  
Who is to blame for the effects of a war, the soldier or the General?  
No matter how you attempt to explain it away, there has to be some accountability on both ends.”

Atris suddenly frowns and spins around towards Juhani. For now, the cathar appears rather calm but resolute.  
“Yes, alright, I admit it, I may indeed be somewhat remorseful for those deaths, as I never wanted this to occur. I never meant for the Sith to attack with such precision, nor could I have been expected to know the extent of their terrible power. It was wrong, alright? All of it was. But that was an entire planet, with many cities and loads of people. My hope was that we would not only have the Jedi fighting the Sith, but the entire miralukan population as well. Together, there was no doubt in my mind that it would’ve succeeded.”

Juhani studies her with interest, letting her eyes shift around searchingly.  
“Then what was it that happened? What went wrong? How could you have misjudged the Sith so profoundly, not knowing that they were capable of such immense destruction?”

At first, Atris meets this gaze with quite a bit of confidence of her own, but it quickly begins to waver.  
“I…I don’t…”

“Had you misunderstood their powers, misheard what they were truly capable of? Or were you simply ignorant of how this type of encounter would end? Was your knowledge of battle inadequate?”

Her gaze falls to the floor and she folds her arms.  
“I don’t know.”

Not the type of answer Juhani would’ve wanted, obviously, but what else can she say?  
“Did you even warn the Jedi beforehand?”

Atris shuts her eyes and sighs.  
“No, I did not. I…had hoped they would succeed regardless, that their united strength could challenge any foes.”

There’s silence between them for a few seconds and Atris hopes she will take the current answers she has received and be satisfied. Unfortunately, it will not end that easily.  
“I question your honesty, Atris.”  
She opens her eyes then, looking into the yellow ones of the cathar rather intently.  
“Your claim that you were confident or even hopeful of the Jedi’s success seems lackluster to me, with the results.”

* * *

  
_“Do you ever regret it? You know, not coming with me and Revan to help people out, rather than sitting around being useless?”  
_

* * *

  
Atris watches her with a perplexed expression on her features. Juhani, on the other hand, looks very calm, certain of what it is she wants in an infuriatingly familiar way.  
“What…what are you saying? What are you trying to insinuate here?”

“You already know what I am saying, but merely ask me to confirm this knowledge. If you want me to indulge you, I suppose I can.  
Are you entirely certain that your intention was to stop the Sith? Can there be no doubt that this was not a conscious decision to abandon the Jedi, knowing full well of the consequences of your actions?”

* * *

  
_“You know what I used to think? That you were our moral center, the very heart of truth and justice among the Jedi, one who knew exactly when to act and when to retreat. Once the recruitment started, when you turned your back on us, on me, I realized how wrong I’d been, how little you understood of the galaxy. You were no better than those who feign compassion, while closing their ears to the agony of people all around them.”  
_

* * *

  
“How… _dare you?!”_ , Atris suddenly exclaims, raising her voice into a shout at the end.  
“Such…allegations are preposterous! Why would you even have to ask such a thing?!”  
She drops whatever she was holding onto the floor, but she doesn’t care.  
“I was a Jedi, a member of the Council! And you accuse me of wanting to end the entire Order?!”

Juhani nods briefly, but she doesn’t step away, doesn’t retreat at the anger aimed in her direction.  
“This may be true, but can you fully admit that there was no jealousy, no contempt in your actions? Would you have stayed silent if this was not the case?”

Atris frowns even deeper, closing the distance between them, with their faces almost touching at this point.  
“Are you accusing me of murder, _master_ Juhani? Is that what you want to do?! Are you saying that I am a ruthless killer, a proponent of mass slaughter and genocide?”

The fact that Juhani manages to remain so serene and undeterred by these emotions thrown at her is quite impressive and even if Atris does not let herself feel it now, she’s somewhat ashamed that the cathar appears more like a Councilor at this moment than she might have ever done.  
“I am not. All I intend to do is ask questions. The fact that you react with such passion is an indication of something, but it’s hard to tell exactly what.”

Atris glares at her for a few more moments before she promptly turns around and puts her hands at the closest shelf. She lets herself breathe at this point, not having realized how worked up she has become and how she’s practically panting now. Words, feelings, memories and buried truths swirl in her mind and she feels herself getting overwhelmed, a sensation very familiar to her prior to the battle she and Surik fought many months ago.

“Are you mocking me or what the hell is it you want?”, she exclaims, practically lashing out.  
“Why did you come here, Juhani? Do you wish to admonish me for what I have done?”

“No, that is not my wish.”

“Then what is it?!  
Do you hope to forgive me? Is that it? You want to believe that there is something good left in the Order, through alleviation of guilt from its leaders? Or do you think that’s what I want, that I need someone else’s pity after all this time?”

It’s hard to tell who Atris is speaking to now, either herself, Juhani or someone entirely different. Either way, Juhani simply shrugs.  
“You have a lot of assumptions rolling around in that head of yours and while that is fascinating, I am afraid I must tell you that none of those are my actual intention. In fact, no one can ever be able to forgive you, not before you have atoned for the crimes you have committed and redeemed yourself.  
While you may claim that this is exactly what you are doing here in the enclave, there is much more to it. Your current activity can never be enough. How could it be? There are more than Jedi who lost their lives in that attack, due to your choices.”

As she speaks, Atris keeps her back turned towards Juhani, but she’s now resting her forehead against her arm, one which has been left on one of the shelves.  
“Why are you telling me this? Why does it matter?”

“Because I am trying to explain how you will never find what you are looking for here. You cannot atone for your actions, nor even ask for forgiveness. Not yet.  
First, you would need to center yourself, to ease the ailing senses within your mind which continues to haunt you. I know that this is the truth, because I can feel it more than ever by simply standing this close to you. Your attempts to hide the signs are not enough.  
To achieve this state will be very difficult, particularly if you attempt to do so alone. You might need help and I stand ready to offer my expertise through meditation.”

To most people, this offer would be generous and very kind, an impossible opportunity to decline. Unfortunately, Atris isn’t sure whether she should be glad someone asked her at all or offended that anyone believes she needs such help.  
She was a member of the Jedi Council and doesn’t need anyone to feel pity for her or to help her across any roads. But, at the same time…

* * *

  
_“Had you only stopped for a second, swallowed some of that damn pride of yours and opened your heart to me, I would’ve agreed. I would have forgiven you and been ready to compromise on what paths we could take instead. You know I would and yet you never listened to yourself. You cast me out like you do with everyone else.”  
_

* * *

  
She’s almost about to agree here, straightening her back to accept the inevitable, but stops at the last moment. Anger takes ahold of her again and she glares at Juhani.  
“I do not need help, least of all yours.”

Shortly afterwards, Juhani watches as Atris storms out of the archives, not willing to give her another word. Somehow, though, she gets the feeling it will not end here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yes, there'll be a second encounter between these two in a few weeks. Not next week but, it will happen._


	38. Window into certainty

In the many months since the end of the Onderon Civil War, the mandalorians have severely extended their reach from their original location, building more bases on other worlds in order to improve their ability to aid their new allies. It’s not an easy task, something which is definitely made more complicated due to the general opinion of their people within the Republic.  
That said, they have kept Dxun as their current headquarters and the camp they initially established here has been expanded upon, creating more barracks, more defensive capabilities and more ways to increase their training. Some of this has been funded by the skeptical alliance they have with the larger galactic faction.

Canderous Ordo, or Mandalore the Preserver, has recently returned to Dxun’s surface after having been off-world for a few weeks to discuss strategy and placements for some of the other troops.  
Right now, the main focus is not just to restore more clans into the fold, but also to help the Republic secure a lot of areas that have been rather shaky as of late. Thanks to their somewhat weakened state, a lot of smaller factions have attained enough courage and confidence to strike at some their colonies and outposts, endangering the lives of average citizens. 

As a way to show their allegiance, strength and vigilance, Canderous has declared that anyone who assaults the Republic is an enemy of the mandalorians and he urged his people to fight these opponents whenever possible, defending their allies where they need it.  
Not only does the Republic very much appreciate the aid of such powerful warriors, but the mandalorians themselves get a chance to get back into what they’re made for and what many of them crave, even if it’s not exactly the same as the crusades used to be. 

A certain appreciation also exists among his own people, for giving them a chance to find and eliminate new enemies, but he can’t deny that there are those who have raised their voices in skeptical tones. Some have questioned Mandalore’s wisdom and if they shouldn’t go elsewhere, to focus on a rematch.  
Even though most may blame the old dogs for this behavior, that would not be entirely truthful, as many younger and newer warriors have expressed similar opinions, including those who have been adopted from the outside. 

The Republic used to be the number one enemy of the mandalorians, their foremost goal to crush. Canderous can’t really deny how tempting the opportunity was, to defeat and annihilate one of the oldest and perhaps most powerful groups in the entire galaxy. He eagerly joined in as well and if it wasn’t for Malachor V, he probably wouldn’t have stopped until someone killed him.  
With the type of culture they have, it’s hard for people to see the necessity in turning things around completely, even though the only other alternative is to fade away. In fact, Canderous can’t help but often feel the very same thing, sometimes questioning if what he’s doing is right. What’s better than dying in a blaze of glory?

As he wanders through the camp at this time, dressed in the same armor that he used to aid Meetra Surik and her companions, many people react to his presence. Most greet him favorably and respectfully, but there’s also a bunch of cheering, saluting or mere yelling about Mandalore being among them again. He’s not much of a charismatic leader, certainly not anywhere near the levels of Raekah, which is why he doesn’t make a show of it. He does his best to wave or nod at whomever he walks past, to at least acknowledge their presences. 

Sometimes, this entire thing feels unreal to him. Even if years have gone by since he picked up the mask and chose to follow the request of his friend, it’s so very different from what he could’ve ever envisioned for himself a few years back. All those days spent on Taris, being nothing more than a thug, seems so far away now and yet they are even closer to what he used to be than the warrior who fought the Republic. Should he see it as an ascent or a fall from honor? 

Along the way, some people offer various datapads, verbal reports or items of interest for him to look at in order to better understand the current situation around the galaxy. All of this is very interesting, and he knows he has to inspect them at some point, but for now, he needs to relax. Strategizing and delivering news to his troops takes its toll on him. In fact, he often thinks that such activities make him feel older than when he’s on the battlefield, risking his life. Well, depending on the outcome, of course. 

As this is a Mandalorian camp and not a Republic military base, they naturally have places for the soldiers to calm down and enjoy themselves in various ways. For some, that means sparring, playing games or socializing with their fellows. For Canderous, it means having a good and tall mug of ne’tra gal in the bar. Even if everyone here is equipped and trained to be a fighter, not everyone can do the same kind of work or nothing would ever get done. That’s why some are assigned to take care of such things as serving drinks for others. Thankfully, no one questions the honor in giving Mandalore a way to relax.

Once he enters, he sees that the familiar place which they’ve had here since they first made camp, hasn’t really changed much. It’s basically just one big room with several tables and chairs placed haphazardly. The lighting in here is pretty dim and there’s nothing in terms of formal decoration on the walls, other than the occasional gunshot or scrawled on paint from those who wanted to provide their own artistic vision. The air is filled with the smell of booze, dirt and smoke, along with the sounds of voices and beeping noises from games, probably pazaak or something similar. 

Most of those within are busy when he walks past, but several greet him anyway. Canderous lifts his hands to his helmet, taking it off and putting it under his arm. The majority of the camp has gotten used to his appearance by now and obviously recognizes him immediately.  
Canderous himself can see that everyone inside wears armors in a similar style, the one that is generally known as ‘mandalorian fashion’, even though there are very few unifying elements. There’s more than one type of beskar’gam, despite outsiders’ insistence to the contrary.

Their people are not like others and even though they greet him, they do not treat him with all too much delicacy or subordination, only respect. He’s an old and competent fighter, with a care for their culture and an understanding for what might be best in terms of their future. This is why people follow him and take his orders, but he knows they might as well leave him, or even turn on him, if the general opinion of his leadership does not have enough approval. There’s no retirement or retreat to a comfortable colony somewhere if he ever stops being useful.

Canderous doesn’t stop until he reaches the counter on the far side with all sorts of bottles at the back, originating from loads of different planets around the galaxy. Even the bartender here wears armor, albeit not with a helmet at this time. When he orders his drink, it gets poured almost immediately and he wastes no time tasting it. He feels how it burns nicely in his throat and already at this point, he understands that he’ll be having more than one. 

“Mandalore, good to see you back among us”, he suddenly hears from one of the tables on his right side.

Turning in that direction, he sees a group of warriors, most of them probably from different clans. The one speaking to him has a somewhat lighter version, with the typical visor design that is expected from one of theirs. The majority of it is red with grey highlights. Even though it seems to be slightly worn, meaning she has probably seen combat, Canderous doesn’t recognize it. She speaks through her helmet though, and it’s not always easy to identify someone by voice alone.  
Currently, she’s sitting among the others by the table, playing a card game. 

“It’s good to be back. The Reps don’t make the ale black enough.”

He gets a few chuckles and claps in recognition of what he says. They’re allies with the Republic, sure, but not friends. Some light mockery is seen as acceptable.  
The woman doesn’t do much to answer his little joke, only sitting there, one of her hands on the table and the other on her knee.  
“You’ve been away for a little while, haven’t you? Some people were worried you might’ve gotten caught somewhere.”

He finds the comment somewhat amusing, as does the rest, but he doesn’t really laugh.  
“Heh, yeah, I guess. Got held up with some important stuff that needed to be dealt with. Preparations, for example.” 

She nods and taps her fingers against the table, letting the others continue playing without her.  
“Oh yeah, about that, is it true what they say? That you go to talk with the Jedi whenever you’re gone?” 

While it doesn’t need to be stated, it’s obvious that this is still a sore subject, one that is rarely brought up in lighter settings, except for when battles against them are to be discussed. The Jedi are difficult to talk about for many reasons and not just the most blatant ones.  
Sure, they were defeated by the Order, but many mandalorians honor them for it, thinking they were worthy foes. Others feel differently, naturally wanting revenge, a rematch that might never happen now due to the Order practically having wiped itself out. 

As for this particular mando’ade, Canderous isn’t sure what to say. Which side is she on? How could he ever tell? Either way, probably best to be honest.  
“Not always, but a lot of the time, yeah.” 

“Why? What’s the point of visiting them so often?”

He shrugs in return, shaking his glass around a bit as he gazes down at the dark liquid within.  
“It’s a smart move, because we have to coordinate a lot of our efforts right now. I’ve told you all before, but there are new enemies on the horizon, in the edges of the galaxy. The Jedi have the best and most intricate knowledge about them.”

The warrior separates herself completely from the rest of her group then, standing up and walking a little bit closer.  
“Oh yeah, you have, and I’m interested in that angle, actually. You’ve spoken about those new enemies several times, making a lot of us really excited. Problem is, so far, there’s been no clues or signs at all if this new enemy will pop up anywhere, at any point. All you’ve brought us is vague promises.”  
She stops by the counter, a few meters away from him, and rests her side against it while facing her leader.  
“How long are we expected to stick around like this before we get to see some real action, Mand’alor?”

This isn’t the first time someone has questioned him, although she certainly seems more eager than most of the others.  
Canderous raises an eyebrow skeptically.  
“That’s an interesting way to explain what we’re doing. Don’t we have people to fight right now? Or do the fights around the Mid Rim systems not count as ‘battle’ to you?”

She merely scoffs at that, waving dismissively.  
“Oh c’mon now, you can’t be serious. This is nothing like the fighting we did in the past, where glory was ours to grasp wherever we looked. And now we have to be satisfied with scavengers, pirates and separatists? They’re pitiful in comparison.  
Remember the wars? The crusades? When are we going to see that type of combat again? When are we going to feel the adrenaline pumping in our veins, traverse through fire and struggle until we question whether we’re still alive or not? So far, I’ve only been yawning.”

When Canderous lets his gaze drift to the side, he notices how pretty much the entire room is now facing them and it seems to be about fifty-fifty in terms of reactions. In the way some of them nod or mutter, they obviously agree with this sentiment, while the other half still shows signs of uncertainty. It’s not easy to know for sure if this woman has lived through the shit that was the Mandalorian Wars, but far from everyone who has longs for those days to return.  
He also suspects that many in here simply want to observe what kind of response Mandalore will provide, to see if he has the guts to take on a challenge. The constant struggle of being a warlord. 

Canderous snorts.  
“Maybe you should start to question your sanity instead, because I’m not sure you understand what you’re saying. Do you even remember the war?  
Sure, there was a lot of glory, a lot of combat and a lot of victories. Hell, I still recall some of my bloodiest and most enjoyable fights if I close my eyes, but there’s more to it than the few seconds of an adrenaline rush.  
What about the losses? What of the retreats, the destruction, the deaths? What of the profound humiliation we suffered on Malachor V?”  
The whole room goes silent, as that world has been etched into the collective memory of their people, especially those who were directly involved. Those who have heard the name venerate it almost as much.  
“Don’t be so quick to speak of ‘real fighting’, because those words rarely mean what you hope they do.”

His little speech has made the room grow somber, even the woman in front of him, but she doesn’t seem to be done just yet.  
“Alright, I admit that I understand your point, but I’m not sure that’s satisfying enough.  
What about your loyalty to us, your people? After all, are there not still Jedi out there, ones who stomped and spat on our blood? Do the souls of the dead not deserve the retribution they demand?”

Canderous begins to frown, squeezing his mug a bit tighter.  
“Against whom? The small number of Jedi that still remain, the ones who’re trying to rebuild? That’s not a fight, not even a challenge. If you want to battle people like that, might as well put up a few droids and use them as target practice. It’s about the same difficulty.”

Even if arguments like that win him a lot of favors in the room, this woman doesn’t seem to be convinced. She isn’t gonna let him go that easily.  
“You say that as if it’s the most obvious thing, but why do I feel like you’ve got other motives?  
It’s that woman, isn’t it? Revan, the core of our misery and loss, one who we all thought were gone for so long, has returned.”  
His brow furrows even further.  
“Oh yes, you might have tried to hide that, but I know the truth. I know when what I’m staring at is banthashit and yours currently has the worst stench.” 

“She has nothing to do with this.”

“Hah! Poor excuse, Mand’alor. That’s why you’re defending the Jedi, isn’t it? You don’t want anyone to hurt your _precious_ Revan, now that you’ve started to lick her boots.”

Canderous’ features are now severely strained, especially his jaw. He puts the mug down hard, having to use a lot of restraint as to not attempt to crush it. He takes several steps towards her, letting there be no more than one, maybe two meters at most, in between them.  
“I don’t want to hear this shit from you or _anyone_.  
Everyone should have respect for Revan. She defeated us when we thought we were invincible, brought us a sense of understanding for loss and a new purpose. No matter if she’s back or not, it makes no difference. We have changed because of her and I don’t aim to tarnish these actions.” 

The warrior remains where she is, not backing down. Instead, she merely folds her arms and even if he can’t see her face, he can almost taste the smugness behind that visor.  
“And what if she’s removed then, hmm? What if she falls? Would it matter to you at that point? Would you agree to destroy the Jedi once and for all if Revan is undone?”

He pushes himself even closer to her, and gets ready to strike in case it’s needed. Whatever this woman is trying, he’s not going to sit here and listen to someone insult his oldest and best friend.  
“Are you trying to piss me off, di’kut? Because if you are, you’re certainly succeeding. I hope you’re ready for those kinds of consequences.”

Shortly after, she has the gall to merely chuckle.  
“Good, maybe you’ll finally be angry about something at all then. Think it proves my point too.” 

“If you must know, no, I will not. I refuse to taint her legacy, as well as the mando’ade. We did enough of that in the past.  
Extermination and mass slaughter is something we’ve put on the wayside and will not be picking up again, a tool for the days of the neo-crusaders. We no longer follow the ideals of that group and there’s no point in trying to embrace them again.”

She takes the last step between them, putting a finger to his armored chest while raising her voice.  
“And what if this new enemy does it instead? Will you simply give up? Will you let your people die for this accursed woman?!”  
She replaces her finger with a whole hand, pushing him backwards.  
“You’re pathetic, not a true leader of the mando’ade. You’re a warlord who cares more for the feelings of an enemy than your own brothers and sisters. It’s a disgrace you were ever allowed to wear that mask.”

Finally, she breaks the carefully constructed defense that he had built up against these sorts of interactions and he lashes out. With a brief rage-filled groan, he advances on her, putting up his fist to knock her down. To his surprise, not only does she react simultaneously, but she evades the punch as well, with startling accuracy. Definitely not an average warrior.  
He tries to discard the shock and continues to launch even more attacks. He switches between several stances, angles and speeds, but each one misses. Every time he does, he realizes how he’s basically embarrassing himself in public, but the anger fuels him enough to not stop. No matter if he’ll fail here, he won’t simply give up. They will never see Mandalore surrender.

Eventually, the battle takes an even sharper turn, when she defends herself by blocking one of his strikes completely. He instinctively widens his eyes and doesn't have quick enough reflexes for what comes next. She raises her closed fist and delivers a punch straight into the side of his stomach. Not only does it hit him hard, but he falls backwards much further than the normal strength of such a hit would do. He lands hard on the ground, a couple of meters away. 

From within, he quickly questions what the hell just happened. Has he somehow grown too old for this? Did she cheat against him? Is she an outsider, trying to infiltrate them somehow? Or has he truly stumbled into a warrior who might be able to challenge his rule?  
No, he will not accept any of them, least of all the last section. He will not fail Raekah, not after coming this far. 

However, just as he coughs and clutches his chest, getting ready to stand back up to fight until either of them falls, he hears how the accent of the woman changes and it sounds a little bit more familiar.  
“It’s good to see that you at least have the resolve to follow your principles, no matter the adversary.”

Seconds later, the clang of metal is heard against the floor, as her helmet is thrown off.  
Canderous looks up and widens his eyes even further.  
“Bastila?”

The old Jedi stands there with a hand on her hip, the long brown hair flowing freely behind her and an amused look on her face. To see her stand in this kind of outfit was something he would never have expected.  
“I was going to approach you earnestly at first, but I was doubtful whether you would be willing to show the same concern in public. I had to force the issue from a standpoint you might better understand.  
This felt like the best way to do it, to let one of your own people question you. I am glad it worked.”

She offers her hand to him and despite still being surprised, he reaches up to grab it, letting her haul him up. He groans slightly in pain and when he glances around, most of the others in here don’t look particularly shocked. Seems like everyone was in on it.  
“You wanted to test me?”

“Your conviction and belief, yes. If you were willing to defend us in front of mandalorians, there could be no doubt.” 

Canderous snorts and shakes his head. Still doesn’t trust him enough, huh? Perhaps it’s not entirely unwarranted.  
“Should’ve figured it was you. Don’t think I’ve ever met a mando with those kinds of reflexes.”

This makes her look even more smug than what he had previously envisioned.  
“I do try to stay in shape.”

“Well, I hope this proves where my loyalty lies, at least.”

Her features soften, displaying a smile and she places a hand on his shoulder.  
“You certainly have and whatever small doubts I previously had are now completely evaporated.  
I believe I can trust you, Canderous, even with Raekah’s life, should it come to that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I wanted to have some kind of conversation between these two, because what little interaction exists in the first game (as far as I can remember) is just them bickering. The problem for me was that I wasn't sure exactly what would be suitable. A simple talk was one option, which could have notions of jealousy from Canderous, but that seemed kinda boring. There was also one idea where both Bastila and Raekah comes to the camp, but I felt like that would put the focus away from Bastila and Canderous, because Raekah would get too involved._   
>  _That's when I got the idea of Bastila wanting to test him. I mean, until this story, they haven't seen him in a couple of years and the situation has changed a lot since then. She wanted to see how earnest he was._
> 
> _There's obviously a little bit rivalry between these two, due to Canderous having feelings for Raekah, but at this point it's not stronger than their trust and appreciation for what they both do as either a partner or friend to her._


	39. Tilt of the stars

The mission to Heta’kin’t was a success. After having been gone for several weeks to take the biggest leap in their research so far, Meetra, Visas, Bao-Dur and Atton all returned to Telos IV, getting ready to discuss what their next step should be. The first three from that team are currently heading in the direction of a specific meeting room for this very purpose. They do not approach the area empty-handed either. As soon as they enter, they place a rather thin device on top of a pedestal, hoping that it will be within view for the ones they’re about to contact. Shortly after, they set up a few important calls.

Four holograms appear within the room across the rather large holographic projector, all of them originating from three different locations in the galaxy. Lord Scourge stands in his heavy armor and long cape being projected from Dromund Kaas, Bastila and Raekah are in their robes while probably still roaming in their ship, and Canderous is dressed in his Mandalore plates, currently situated on Dxun. 

The first thing they witness is Raekah smiling.  
“It’s good to see you all again. I’m glad that you came back from the Gree Enclave unharmed. What was it like?”

Meetra returns the expression and places her hands at her hips.  
“Oh, you know, good for the most part and obviously one of a kind. The gree were very polite, although not quick to trust. I wouldn’t recommend that colony as a vacation spot; the air isn’t pleasant. Also, speaking with their translation droids and the weird garbled language they used, was a chore. Had to bring a datapad for taking notes almost every time.”

Visas shakes her head briefly.  
“She exaggerates.”

Meetra shifts her gaze to smirk at Visas.  
“Am I? Not so sure of that. Or maybe you were just very pleased with the whole experience, because we got to spend some quality time together?”

There’s no immediate response from Visas, who instead directs it towards the holograms.  
“I assure you, we were working and conducting research on most days.” 

“Excuses.”

Bastila chuckles.  
“Don’t worry, we won’t judge you for taking a few hours off now and then.” 

Trying to bring them back on track, Bao-Dur smiles at their companions.  
“The gree’s technology was extremely fascination. Some of the items, techniques and mechanisms they showed me are ones that I’ve never witnessed before, or even been able to conceive. I’ve learned a lot of things and my skills have definitely improved, especially with ideas for Force application.”

Raekah, also having a mind for the mechanical and technological, folds her arms and turns her attention to the zabrak.  
“You know how to create items infused with the Force now?”

“Not fully and I still only have a rudimentary understanding for how it really works, but they handed me a lot of files which I’ll be studying as soon as I get the chance.  
It’s a shame that we couldn’t spend more time there, as I believe their people could teach us so much more. I certainly hope to maintain contact with them.”

Meetra nods in agreement and redirects her attention to the others.  
“We’ll probably get that chance. The gree weren’t interested in credits or resources, but knowledge and opportunities for cooperation. We’ve established a communications network that leads directly to some of their researchers and we’ll talk more in the future.”

Both Raekah and Bastila seem fairly fascinated by that.  
“Really?”, the former asks. “Now that’s something I hadn’t expected. Did you tell them about Vitiate?”

The current leader of the Jedi briefly shakes her head.  
“We didn’t, not directly anyway. We told them there was a threat that we needed to face, with immense strength in the Force, but we didn’t want to give them details. Said it was for their own good. It felt…unfair to involve them in our problems.”

That’s when they hear Scourge scoffing.  
“The threat from the Emperor is not yours, but one that affects the entire galaxy. You should’ve demanded their aid.” 

Meetra rolls her eyes.  
“Yeah well, we weren’t exactly in a position to make demands. We were on a planet with millions or possibly billions of their kind, in a land without air that we could breathe properly. They had all the advantages and had we tried, they’d have just kicked us out.” 

Visas inclines her head.  
“From all that we were allowed to read of their history, the gree prefer to avoid conflict, especially war. It seems more likely that they would have increased their measures of isolation, had we tried to inquire or push for military cooperation.”

One that has spoken little so far, Canderous, now decides to interject.  
“Well, did you at least get what you were looking for? Whatever that was.”

“Mhm, we did”, Meetra confirms. “Like Bao-Dur said, they shared their techniques, materials and ideas with us, allowing everyone to work together in order to construct the piece we needed. The machine we hoped to create is finally done.”

Raekah directs her eyes towards Bao-Dur.  
“You managed to build it just like you wanted?

“Well…”, he starts, “it’s hard to say, really. Before we began, I wasn’t even sure what the end result would be. My hope was that it would be powerful enough to process a lot of energy from the Force and I do believe we managed to get that far.”  
All three step aside to reveal an item on the pedestal, which looks like a platform. It is circular, about a meter in length and no more than a few inches in height, with a glassy surface, much like the walls, roof and floor of the gree buildings back on Heta’kin’t. The base is black, but on the top, they can see several red circles and blue lines which connect each one.  
“The name is currently a work in progress, as the device is a prototype, but the ‘Force Neutralization Transceiver’ is one that I’m currently most satisfied with. Atton is more skeptical. He prefers if it can create a catchy abbreviated word.”

The image is obviously being distributed to all three holoprojectors in whatever places that the others are in. Scourge is first to react.  
“It doesn’t look particularly impressive.”

Bao-Dur smiles.  
“If that’s the case, then we have done our job accurately.  
On the surface, it doesn’t look like much, other than shiny, perhaps. However, it has many internal processes that combine advanced technology, based both on my own ideas and gree design, with a certain measure of the Force.”

“How did you make that happen?”, Bastila asks. “How did you get the Force in there?”

“I can’t fully explain it yet, as it was actually the gree who constructed those components for us, but from my understanding of it, there are special sensors within which can tap into a specific wavelength where the Force can be detected. On its own, that means nothing, but with Force users nearby, its options expand. Due to the control and change that we make to the living Force around us, we become as a beacon to the device and allow it to react to us. it will pull at the very energy which we utilize, process it through the machine’s equipment and fling it back at the user – basically, using our own power against us.”

From the look in their eyes, it’s hard to tell whether the people in the holograms are impressed or worried.  
“That’s remarkable”, Raekah points out. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anything like that before. Not on such a small scale anyway.”

“Indeed. If applied correctly, I believe this should be able to drain the Emperor enough that we can contain him, or at least weaken him. I still need to run several more tests and diagnostics to be sure, but the results so far have been very positive.”

Before he can continue, they see how Visas purses her lips and folds her arms.  
“While Bao-Dur makes a reasonable argument, I tend to disagree with his assessment.”

“Oh?”, Bastila asks. “What’s your take on this then?”

“Personally, I believe this should be utilized in a more direct and violent measure. I have seen the power it is capable of, and trust that we can not only contain him, but strike him down. My opinion is that we should try to kill Vitiate with it, when we have the chance.”

This is a discussion that they’ve obviously had before, both with the entire group gathered and in small conversations here and there, even in mails. The fact that they now have a weapon of sorts seems to have reignited the issue.  
Bao-Dur sighs regardless.  
“I know you have mentioned this before, but I still don’t think it will be enough, Visas.”

Raekah looks at him curiously.  
“Why not?”

“Even if it is a remarkable piece of technology, I have my doubts if it will be strong enough to challenge someone as powerful as the Emperor. I suppose it all depends if your evaluation of his limits is correct but…going that far will probably be too much.”

Visas shakes her head.  
“I think you’re wrong. Even if the device can’t outright destroy him, it would give us a valuable opening.”

“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but…I would have to run more tests. So far, I still believe containment will be the best method.”

Raekah tears her gaze away from them and instead looks at the woman in the middle.  
“What about you, Meetra? What do you think?”

The only human out of these three takes a deep breath and shrugs.  
“To be honest, I’m torn. Launching an assault is obviously appealing, but none of us fully know the extent of his abilities. Maybe it won’t even make a dent on someone as powerful as him.  
Then again, containment will require a lot more preparations and resources. We’re not yet certain what this thing is capable of.  
This is why I can’t decide what I’d prefer.”

The group is probably gonna have to look forward to a lot of arguing and at least one of them doesn’t want to hear more of that just yet.  
“There’s been a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo here”, Canderous points out. “Can you actually show us what this thing can do?”

Bao-Dur blinks confusedly at first, before he clears his throat.  
“Oh, yes, of course. We had a demonstration in mind, actually.  
General, would you like to act as test subject?”

The human snorts amusedly.  
“Guess I don’t have a choice, right? I’m the best option out of us three.”  
While she takes her position not too far from the device, Bao-Dur moves around it and approaches the side in order to turn it on. Meetra takes a deep breath.  
“I hate this part. It’s gonna sting.”

Immediately when it’s activated, there’s a slightly dulled noise coming from it, and the lights increase in brightness for a moment, before going back to normal. After that, the only sign that it’s actually turned on is a small humming sound.  
They wait about a minute as Bao-Dur makes a few adjustments. Eventually, he gestures at her.  
“It’s done. Give us your best.”

“Not sure I can give you the best I’ve got but…let’s do something, at least.”  
She closes her eyes, puts her hands together and concentrates. Shortly after, they see how a shimmering light emanates from her as well, as she tries to create a physical manifestation of the Force within her and the power she possesses. 

“It takes a few seconds, but what you can’t see is how it is currently analyzing and absorbing some of Meetra’s power. It won’t be long now until-“

Just as he says this, the machine erupts with activity. Bright golden lights shoot out from the top like pillars and while they linger in the air at first, they soon alter their directions, surging towards Meetra. In a matter of seconds, they wrap around her like chains and pull her in. Meetra tries to struggle, gritting her teeth as she summons more power, but the lights merely grow fiercer and stronger.  
Eventually, the machine not only gains enough resources to hold her down, forcing her to her knees, but also appears to solidify. Like very quickly forming ice, it surrounds her until she’s fully encapsulated in solid light. 

Bao-Dur nods and gestures at her.  
“And there we have it. That’s the machine’s two functions demonstrated – draining and containment, capturing its prey in their own power.” 

All four of them look fairly impressed and Raekah smiles.  
“You did good, Bao-Dur, very good. This was better than I had anticipated.”

Visas glances at Bao-Dur.  
“Release her. Now.”  
The zabrak doesn’t hesitate, as he immediately does what she asks, pushing a button that swiftly shatters the light and Meetra falls down. Luckily, Visas is already there to capture her, before she reaches the ground.  
“Are you alright?”, she whispers.

Meetra coughs a little and tries to breathe in and out a few times before she responds. Thankfully, she provides a smile and gently caresses her girlfriend’s cheek.  
“Yeah, don’t worry, I’m okay. Just…kinda exhausted.” 

“The device was set to one of the medium settings here”, Bao-dur explains. “The heights it can reach on the highest ones are remarkable.”

“Only medium?”, Raekah asks curiously.  
“If that wasn’t even the toughest setting, I’m not sure whether I should be concerned or excited.”

“Well, I guess it depends how you look at it. Either way, the machine is wired towards a specific type of Force application, which chains it to the user’s abilities. Like I explained earlier, it turns the power back against them, which means that the stronger the user pushes, the harder the machine pulls them in.”

Scourge tilts his head.  
“Is there any way to counteract it?”

“As far as I know, no, but it’s certainly possible that someone might be able to find a way. I haven’t tested every scenario just yet.  
This technique wasn’t something that I nor any of our team came up with, as it was provided to us by the gree. They’ve utilized this before and apparently, even the rakata may have once been inspired by gree technology.”

Canderous raises his hand towards his chin, stroking it in thought.  
“Okay, so you’ve got a machine that can drain the Force. How will that actually be used against the Emperor? It’s not like we can just waltz up to him and plant it at his feet. What’s the range? Can you aim it?”

Bao-Dur clears his throat.  
“Well…it’s not a gun, so not quite like that. It does have fairly good range, but the problem is that he would either have to be within line of sight, or we would have to direct it at a very specific wavelength. For the second, we need a source and right now, we only have one solution – using Meetra.”

“What? Why?”, Raekah asks.

“Because Meetra and the Emperor share a certain essence. Due to the connection between the wound inside of her and Vitiate’s void, we have a direct link which the device can tie itself to and capture Vitiate.  
Our plan thus far is to initially let it draw from Meetra’s essence and then search for the largest collection of that specific energy, which should, of course, be Vitiate.”

“Should?”, Canderous asks.  
“That doesn’t sound like a certainty.” 

Bao-Dur exhales, looking both unsure and a little annoyed.  
“No, it doesn’t, because I’m not certain. It’s not impossible that others might get hit in the vicinity, and thus far, our only benefit has been that other Force users aren’t hit as drastically.”

“But they’re still hit?”

“Yes. I’m still working on the tuning, and I’ll try to improve it before we apply it in combat. If I’m given a few more weeks, I’m confident that it can be done, though I’ll probably still need Meetra’s assistance. If I can, I’ll try to bind it to their specific essence, making it so that it only reacts to her and Vitiate. Perhaps that will make it virtually useless after we’re done, but I don’t think that should matter. The Emperor is the very reason why we created this weapon to begin with.”

Looking on the hologram to the right, they see how Scourge takes a deep breath and sighs.  
“Forgive me for not being as excited as the rest of you, but I remain skeptical at the potential for success with this…device. I’m still wondering if anything like this, and technology overall, could ever stand a chance against someone with strength equal to the Emperor.  
The machine you’ve created is interesting and the abilities it can produce have a lot of applicability, but successfully containing all of Vitiate? It seems highly unlikely to me.” 

The skepticism hurled at him only makes Bao-Dur look more unsure.  
“Well, as I’ve previously stated, it’s not something I can accurately pinpoint, without knowing Vitiate's limits. He’s obviously very different from us, and without the possibility to test it against someone like him, I can’t say what the results will be. Unfortunately, we will only have one chance to do this.” 

Once more, Visas enters the conversation, ready to express her opinion.  
“This is the same concern I raised in the Enclave. It is why I believe that the idea of striking him down is preferable.  
Not only will the device endanger Meetra, but if it is completely destroyed before we know if it can even hold all that power, we will become vulnerable. What if, instead of using Vitiate’s power against him, the machine overloads? That is a very plausible outcome.”

Canderous inclines his head.  
“I agree. If this thing can weaken our enemy, we should use it that way and attack with everything we’ve got. An all-out strike should do the trick.”

Even if he protested the first option, Scourge now shows even more doubt.  
“You believe all your guns and explosives will be enough to stop the Emperor? We still don’t know if your so-called weapon is even able to make a dent in his defenses.”

“And what, you suggest we do nothing at all?”, Canderous asks while frowning.

“Of course not. I’m only asking questions and providing criticism where necessary. I want to destroy the Emperor, but I don’t plan to die before I can accomplish this task.”

Raekah and Bastila both seem fairly uncertain, with the former now crossing her arms.  
“Yeah, I think we’re on the fence too. I’m not sure what’s best. We still don’t know if Vitiate can even be killed by physical weapons. This gadget you’ve created obviously provides us with more alternatives, but there’s too many question marks all around to know which path we should choose.”

“Well, I’ll make sure that Bao-Dur continues to run the tests and report back to you when we know more”, says Meetra. She’s standing now, being supported by Visas. She’s still feeling weak.  
“We know that we have a weapon that can be operated in a few different ways, but there’s still a few gaps that needs to be filled elsewhere. The ‘when’ and ‘where’ are probably the most immediate questions. You got any opinions on that, Scourge? Think you can get us in?”

Scourge raises a hand to stroke at the tendrils poking out from his chin.  
“That is a concern I have been considering as well. I’m skeptical, due to security still being tight. I could get you all into Dromund Kaas, but the Emperor’s temple? Unlikely. Not unless you wish to be taken prisoner, which would expose you, and the weapon you’ve created would be seized. A direct assault is also inadvisable, as it will turn the entire planetary system against us.”

Canderous frowns towards the Sith’s hologram.  
“Cheerful as always, huh? Glad to know that we basically don’t stand a chance.”

“I never said it was impossible, mandalorian, only very unlikely.”

“Same thing.”

“Gentlemen,” Raekah says, while raising her hands, “let’s not fight about this, shall we? Scourge also has a point. Perhaps Dromund Kaas is not our best choice, as the Emperor has the advantage on that world. It’s probably why Malak and I never succeeded.  
Personally, I’m wondering if we should target another place, somewhere to level the playing field. I have one in mind, which could potentially aid our efforts.”

Meetra raises her brow curiously.  
“Really? Where would that be?”

“Nathema.”  
As soon as it’s mentioned, every expression in the room appears to fall, no one looking either excited or hopeful.  
“Look, I know what experiences we’ve had with that planet so far and I don’t blame you for doubting me, but I think it can be utilized to our advantage. It must have an effect on Vitiate as well, right?  
If this weapon can connect to the void in both Meetra and Vitiate, then Nathema should work in a similar way.”

Bao-Dur raises his hand, running it over his head, between the horns, trying to consider her proposal.  
“Hmm. Your suggestion is interesting but, I don’t really know. I’ve never even thought of the potential of implementing an entire planet into our plans. Actually landing on the surface seems unwise, but…perhaps if we stay in orbit?”

“I agree. And if we go to that world beforehand, maybe you’ll even be able to run a few experiments on the device’s connection to it.”

The ones who have been on that world, or at least nearby, don’t look particularly excited at the prospect, Canderous least of all.  
“Well, space battle is not exactly my favorite kind, but I guess it might make it more difficult for both sides. Could work.”

There’s another obvious question, one that Bastila now directs to the only Sith.  
“What do you think, Scourge? Do you believe we can lure Vitiate to that system at all?”

A few seconds passes by as he lingers on the question, mulling it over.  
“I…don’t actually know. He rarely mentions Nathema, in any situation, and I doubt he would consider going there even less. Might be why he sent a team to deal with you, rather than going on his own. I suspect he probably doesn’t want to be exposed to any weaknesses which that world could provide, even if his servants became aware of its nature.  
There’s also the issue of the Dark Council. He might be reluctant to leave imperial space, due to how quick Sith can be at betraying one another, especially one’s master. It would be a tempting opportunity for the members of the Dark Council.”

“You think he'd see them as a bigger threat than us?”, Raekah asks.

Scourge takes another deep breath, his eyes shifting back and forth searchingly.  
“No, I don’t. If he knew you were going in that direction and were planning to strike at him, that should be incentive enough for him to investigate personally.”

Raekah nods curtly.  
“Then that’s the angle you should approach him with. Say that you’ve somehow attained new information on our whereabouts and we’re planning some kind of ritual on Nathema. That won’t let him know the truth and if he’s really worried that we’ll target his strength, he’ll come to protect it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _About the whole tech stuff...I mean, I guess I could've created something more interesting or intricate, but I'm not the best when it comes to technobabble. In this story, it's not really important anyway. They have a weapon against the Emperor, which they hope will work. Whether it will or not, we shall have to see._
> 
> _And yeah, Scourge is gonna talk to the Emperor next week. MORE FUN WITH VITIATE_   
>  _The end of this story is closing in, but it's not really done yet. According to my current plan, I think chapter 51 will be the last one, so y'know, still a couple of months._


	40. Chamber of the lost

In the outskirts of Kaas City on Dromund Kaas, the capital world of the Sith Empire, lies a temple which few of its citizens ever see or experience, other than from official propaganda, rumors or, at most, from a distance. When Scourge himself first arrived on the planet, years ago, the power this place had on his mind, by sheer word of mouth, was astounding. There were so many things he believed about it, so many myths, suggestions and stray thoughts that he wanted to confirm in some capacity, but he couldn’t. No one could, really, due to how the Empire is structured and the status the Emperor has always had. He is a god, a being you cannot question nor properly define, even if many of those further up tend to do so at a staggering rate. Most, if not all, who do tend to disappear. 

As he wanders around the corridors that he used to consider as the grounds of divinity, everything feels so different now. He sees the Emperor, the Force, the future and perhaps the galaxy itself in another kind of light. Lots of people wander around the halls, servants of the master. It is not as filled as the Imperial Citadel is, but that doesn’t exactly mean its empty. Many people have lots of duties to fulfill, some to the Emperor himself, while others are to be distributed across the many imperial star systems.  
The majority of those present are either human or pureblooded, but there are a few occasional exceptions. All of those are either servants or slaves. While the Emperor has ordered his own society to demean these species, it does not mean he won’t utilize them for his purposes. 

Scourge doesn’t know most of the people here. In fact, almost all of them are complete strangers to him, with only a few being people he can name. Fortunately, they treat him the same way, as he is not important for most of the denizens to know of either, nor even fully recognize. It’s a disconcerting setting of alienation and a constant reminder of what, or rather who, they’re all here for.  
Everyone does realize that he belongs, though, due to the influence of the Emperor, which has already started to work on him. He has not been implanted with the master’s essence just yet, but simply staying in here for a time allows small particles to surround you and be accepted by the nature of his power. It pulls you in, and you rarely have the opportunity to escape. For some, they wouldn’t even want to. 

Except for the eerily dim lighting – most of it in green or red colors – there’s also many statues and sculptures in this place. Some have nameplates, while others do not. Scourge recognizes very few, as art history isn’t really his best subject. The only thing he can note is how they’re at least not all depictions of Vitiate, which Scourge approves of. If he simply had a ton of statues of himself, Scourge would find him even more deplorable than he already does. 

Another element which makes the whole temple even further unnerving is the air, the almost palpable aspect of it. It’s different, not necessarily thicker, but it does not taste the same compared to the city or the jungle. Scourge doesn’t know what it is, if there’s something planted or allowed to grow nearby, or if it’s simply the result of the Emperor’s physical influence. None of it really matters, as he knows he doesn’t enjoy it. In fact, it gladdens him that the Emperor prefers to employ him elsewhere, rather than let him stay here for any extended period of time. Somehow, though, he suspects that will not last forever.

He approaches the back of the facility, where the entrance to Emperor’s throne lies. The corridors here are tall, but not all too wide, giving enough space only for a few, if one would attempt to walk side by side. Outside of the door stands two people in red clothes and armors, members of the famed Imperial Guard. They are always stationed here at the heart of his quarters and usually accompany him wherever he goes. In many ways, Scourge finds them more unsettling than the actual Force-using slaves, due to how efficient, brutal and cold they are. They are bound to his will like few others can be, and many of them willingly volunteer. Ascension into such a position can not only bring a sense of purpose and pride, but also benefits for the family. 

The two doesn’t move or shift in any way to acknowledge that they see him. They merely stand there with their weapons and shields, almost as if they are just another two statues.  
“I must speak with the Emperor”, he tells them evenly. “I have something crucial he has to hear.”

The two guards, both of them wearing helmets, turn to glance at one another, before they redirect themselves to him.  
“The master is busy at this time and will not attend any visitors”, says the one on the left in a rather monotone voice. 

Scourge frowns, still a bit annoyed that he continues to be treated like an outsider, despite serving the Emperor just like these two do. Then again, will people like this duo ever consider him in that fashion? The Imperial Guard probably look out more for their own.  
“That may be true, but I can assure you that he wants to hear this. It is not something he would wish to ignore, as it regards crucial aspects of his own life. I suggest you let me enter.”

Seconds passes by in silence as the guards merely stand there, unmoving. Scourge glances between them and he’s starting to wonder if they’re actually waiting for something. This hasn’t happened to him before, as most of the time, he comes here when he’s called, not when he has a personal reason.  
Fortunately, whatever signal they need to receive does eventually arrive.  
“The Emperor will see you now”, the one on the right says as they step aside, and the door opens.  
What did he tell them before this occurred? What is it Scourge can’t hear? Perhaps it doesn’t matter.

Scourge nods briefly and slowly moves inside. He keeps his back straight, his arms hanging down in a strict and rigid manner, as if he’s following some kind of marching protocol. It’s not an aspect he needs to fall into, nor has anyone told him to, but he tends to do it anyway. The Emperor expects deference and formality from his subordinates and Scourge will play the role of the obedient tool.  
It is, unfortunately, the throne room which provides even more unsettling surroundings. The darkness in here is only ever interrupted by the many generators that tend to be operated for various purposes, usually displayed through the constant striking of lightning. It appears that most of these machines are deactivated today and all he has is the disturbingly empty length all the way towards the seat at the back. 

As he wanders over the metal floor, everything around him is still and silent, except for his own footsteps. It is uncomfortable and lonely to walk across this road, not only because of the sort of place he’s in, but also due to the fact that he knows how the entity on the other end is staring at him. There is only a very small red light shining somewhere on a wall, in order to display the end of the walkway, but it’s enough to at least create shadows of the being that keeps his iron fist tightly clenched around everything.  
The closer Scourge comes, the more he feels it, as if he’s moving against a fierce wind, despite nothing like that existing here. His body wants to turn around and flee, but his mind realizes that it’s simply the effect of being close to the Emperor. He has to struggle against it, as everyone does. Part of Scourge actually wonders if Vitiate knows, if he does it on purpose. Does he enjoy the thought of his subjects suffering in his presence? Does he like to watch them squirm? Scourge doesn’t know whether to be angry, disgusted or jealous.

When the journey is almost over, Scourge’s eyes have somewhat adjusted to the darkness and he sees the contours of the creature on the throne, simply waiting for the pureblood to arrive. Scourge is silent through the entire trek, until he stops at the edge of a small platform a few meters away from the chair. Here, he lowers his head, keeping his eyes on the floor and kneels.  
“Your Imperial Majesty, I present myself for your judgement.” 

A couple of seconds float by, until Vitiate finally speaks. When he does, it is with a slow and hoarse tone, as the voice seems to echo from several corners of the room.  
“Ah, Lord Scourge. It is good to see you once more. It has been a little while since the two of us last spoke face-to-face, has it not?” Was that a joke?  
“How have you been?”

Scourge clears his throat, feeling how it’s going dry.  
“I have been well, my lord, and I perform my tasks as eagerly as the day you set them before me. I will admit that they have proven difficult at times.”

“Oh? How so?”

“I have been observing and studying the Dark Council as you ordered me to, master, but at times, it makes me uncomfortable. The Sith on those seats are often indirect, uncaring and argumentative. They are always fighting over the most miniscule of issues.”  
He sighs and shuts his eyes momentarily.  
“They anger me, master, and I find myself questioning their existence quite regularly. If it wasn’t for all the tasks that needed to be done within the large borders of the Empire, I might’ve suggested dismantling them.” 

For a brief moment, he hears a small laugh from the Emperor. He has never shown to be without humor, even though Scourge wouldn’t say it makes him any more reasonable.  
“I must say that I often feel the same. It is an aspect I have had to contemplate, which is why purges can be necessary. But yes, they do serve their purpose overall.  
Besides, occasionally, I do find their squabbling to be rather amusing and interesting. It is fascinating to observe their behaviors. It lets me know and experience the many ways of our people and how we progress through all sorts of obstacles. Many paths are available to us and I cannot see them unless I allow us to test the waters.”

It’s not like Scourge didn’t already know this, but the way he talks about the Empire makes it sound like an experiment, a lab for him to poke and prod. Scourge might’ve forgiven this if it was about a specific number of subjects, out of some kind of ‘scientific curiosity’. But using an entire culture to test his theories?  
The Sith has to swallow, as to remove the bile from his throat.  
“I understand what you say, your majesty, and it is reasonable.”

“That said, perhaps the Dark Council does need to shift into another direction at some point. I would not wish for my Empire to grow stagnant, which it might do if we linger with one type of governance for too long.”

Scourge doesn’t actually wish to discuss this topic any further and hopes to interject, without directly interrupting the Emperor. Such a thing would be inexcusable.  
“Master, I did not come to you today to deliver the message of my feelings on the matter. I have another purpose.”

“I suspected as much. Speak your mind, Scourge.”

And here they go. He needs to stay focused now, not let himself be distracted by fear or stray emotions. The Emperor will likely know what he’s thinking to some extent, but Raekah has always insisted that he won’t know everything, not without injecting himself into Scourge in some manner.  
“I…have to come to admit that I have not been entirely truthful with you, my lord. It shames me to say it, but I can lie to you no longer. I have been watching the Jedi.” 

“The Jedi? The ones at Nathema?”

“Yes, the same Jedi I fought against on their ship, the ones I had to flee from. When I last met them, that…was not the full truth.  
They actually captured me during this time and began to interrogate me. I was asked about the Empire, the Sith…you. I gave what I could, without letting them extract too much. I tried to persuade them that I can see their point and how we are on the same side. They believed me.  
After it was done, I agreed to stay in contact with them and cooperate. On their request, I flew them to Dromund Kaas, so that they might witness our world and experience what our society offers.”

Once more, he has to swallow. He really wishes he had a glass of water or something now.  
For the most part, he hopes to get a reaction out of Vitiate, an acknowledgement of what the Emperor knows. Scourge already realizes the truth, of course, as Raekah revealed it, but here is the chance to get it from the source. Unfortunately, he does not share anything.  
“I see”, he states calmly. “And why, my dear servant, would you go through all this trouble? What is your purpose for revealing it now?”

Scourge doesn’t know if Vitiate already has the truth, if all he’s doing is testing the pureblood or if he is truly unaware of the facts, but the Sith has to keep the charade going.  
“I have a plan, of course. I wished to infiltrate this group and find out what their intentions were. My hope was to deliver news of any potential future attacks to you.  
Last time, I failed you my lord, failed to protect your secrets and avenge my fellow Sith. I needed to do this, to trick the Jedi as proficiently as I possibly could, in order to find some retribution. It is for this reason that I have bided my time and observed the decisions they make. Finally, I have my answer.”

The Emperor slides his hands over the armrests of his throne.  
“You know their plans?”

“Partially, yes. They have revealed to me what they aim to do – they are going back to Nathema.  
I don’t yet know the full details of it all, as they still don’t really trust a Sith, but I know they are preparing some kind of ritual. I suspect they believe that they can harm you, master, by channeling the power of that world and turning it against you. Perhaps they seek to wound you in some way, before they can strike.  
After all, the one I met – Revan - does have an impressive control of both the Light and Dark side of the Force. She, if anyone, should be able to find a path. And then there is the other, the Exile. Her very nature defies explanation and she unnerved me whenever I was close. Together, they may believe they are unstoppable.” 

Slowly and carefully, the Emperor raises his hand to run it into his cowl, likely stroking his chin in thought. It’s too dark to truly see. When he speaks, he doesn’t sound particularly alarmed or excited, only interested.  
“That is certainly curious, and I can see why you wished to bring it to my attention. I shall have to find some way to study their methods up close. Perhaps sending another scouting team is the path we should take, to see if we can find out more of what the Jedi might be thinking. They are small-minded, but not harmless, after all.”

No, this cannot be what happens. If that’s his conclusion, Scourge will have failed with his mission and they may be forced to postpone their plans. This might eventually create distrust from Vitiate towards the pureblood.  
He finally dares to raise his head and face the Emperor, hoping to seem somewhat worried.  
“My lord, I urge you to go further than this, as I have more to say.  
The Jedi will not be travelling to this system alone, as they have allied with a fierce people known as the mandalorians. Mandalore, their leader, has pledged himself to Revan and will aim to bring many ships and lots of troops.  
If you send out nothing but a scouting team, they will surely be destroyed long before we are able to counteract such measures.”  
The Emperor stays silent for now, but Scourge feels his stare turned sharply in the pureblood’s way.  
“On top of this, how can any one of us ever counter someone as powerful as Revan? The strength she possesses is astounding and should she have the Exile along with the rest of the Jedi at her side, she will be unstoppable. There is only one who can truly challenge them.”

Suddenly, without warning, the Emperor’s eyes become visible. Even as the rest of his face is hidden in shadows, two red orbs glow in the dark with a sinister energy. Scourge swallows, but this time not due to how dry it is. Instead, he feels a tremendous amount of fear running down his spine and he hadn’t expected this reaction in himself. Just a glance from this man, from this entity, is enough to paralyze him completely. 

Shortly after this, he feels how something else appears around his throat. It merely pokes at first, pushing itself onto his skin, before it quickly begins to change, gaining a stinging sensation. Eventually, it’s pretty clear that his throat is being squeezed. He instinctively moves his hands towards his neck, while at the same time being lifted into the air by an invisible force.  
Vitiate stands up, still facing the pureblood, but he hasn’t moved otherwise. There’s no indication of him raising his hand, or even a single finger, and yet he’s able to choke Scourge so easily.

He closes the distance to his servant and looks up at Scourge’s dangling body.  
“Are you making demands of your Emperor, maggot?”

His voice has a small tinge of anger in it, but not as much emotion as one might expect from someone strangling another person.  
“N-no…I…”, is all that leaves Scourge’s throat, as it’s hard to form words in this position. 

“It certainly sounded that way, don’t you think? Do you believe your master must step out of the shadows, reveal himself to the galaxy and take responsibility?”

“I…I wouldn’t-“

“Do you believe that your lord and ruler has been too lazy, perhaps? Not done enough in order to counter these insects that dare tread on my territory, when I should be squashing them?  
Do you perhaps believe, like the Dark Council, that I am not enough for my people anymore?”

Scourge feels both pain and fear surge through him, and he’s unsure exactly what he said to make the Emperor treat him like this. Obviously, he said something wrong, but he doesn’t know what triggered the anger. He wonders if this will be it, if he perhaps will fail his new comrades before he can truly stand beside them. Sensations of guilt and disappointment fills him at the thought of it.  
“No…”

Thankfully, this is when Vitiate let’s go. He doesn’t just stop holding, but drops the Sith on the ground, making him plummet to the floor with a thud. Scourge immediately takes a deep breath, touches his throat and coughs desperately, as saliva involuntarily escapes his mouth.  
“But, of course, you are correct. I have been here for too long, waited for the Jedi to act before me. I have let them linger, to grow overconfident in my absence. It is time I show them who they are truly facing.”  
He raises one of his hands, pointing it forward and despite the long distance to the doors, they slide open. After this, his voice echoes even louder through the corridor.  
“Lieutenant.” 

One of the Imperial Guards steps out from their position and salutes.  
“Yes, my Emperor!”

“Contact the Third Imperial Guard Division and make them move their ships. Tell them to prepare.”

“For what, my lord?”

“Battle is on the horizon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _This fight won't happen just yet, but yeah, basically, the Imperial Guard vs Mandalorians. That should be fun_


	41. Thread of complications

It has been too long now. The hesitation has lingered, the doubt has been building and she feels how overwhelming its presence has grown. She has come to realize that she must admit defeat and that there is nothing that can be done alone. She needs help.  
This is why she ends up outside of the door belonging to one of the other Jedi, one she had so brusquely left days ago. At the time, she was offended, outraged even, for what was suggested. Now, she is ashamed.

As the doors slide open, the human puts her gaze on the cathar sitting on her knees at the floor of her own room. Juhani opens her eyes as if she was expecting this guest, displaying a small smile.  
“Atris.”

The former Jedi Master, despite the reason for coming here, tries to keep an air of grace and confidence about her.  
“Good morning.”

“It is good to see you again. Why are you here?”

Atris opens her mouth to speak, but hesitates almost immediately. It makes her annoyed that she would, even more so with the question itself.  
“Why do you ask? You know already, don’t you?”

“I do not wish to make assumptions on your behalf. I want you to speak your mind.”

Of course, she does. Always being polite and considerate. Atris isn’t sure whether she should be glad or irritated.  
“Fine, I confess that I’m here to talk or meditate or…whatever it is you had in mind.”

“To center yourself.”

Atris sighs, raising a hand to rub a few fingers on her forehead.  
“Yes, yes, that’s what you mentioned, but you didn’t go into details.”

“That was intentional.”

“I figured as much.”

Their little game makes Juhani smile and she gestures towards her.  
“Please, lock the door and come sit down on one of the pillows here. There are certain things we must establish first.”

While she isn’t all too eager to get into this, there will be no more escape once she commits to it. Her last opportunity to refuse is now, which is something they’re both aware of.  
With a deep breath, Atris pushes the button next to the door, initiating the lock, and then proceeds towards the location Juhani offered to her. The largest amount of skepticism probably stems from the fact that their pillows are very close to each other, allowing them to almost touch. Atris fears there may be some physical contact during this session. She shouldn’t be unnerved by that, as she is a Jedi and can keep her calm if she really tries to. And yet, still…

Once she sits down, their eyes connect, blue interlocking with yellow.  
“Shall we begin?”, Juhani asks.

Atris folds her arms and shrugs.  
“I suppose we should.”

“Very well. To center your being and mind, we will need to find the core of your problems, the very root of your worries. There are, of course, many methods to achieve this result, but I believe it is preferable to pick something easy to understand and work with. It is why I would like for us to just sit and talk for a while to begin with. It is both simple and efficient.”

Sure, it sounds simple, but Atris suspects there’s more to it underneath, which will complicate matters as they continue.  
“I agree, and I believe I’m ready.”  
Juhani then turns and offers her hands, which makes Atris blink confusedly.  
“…what?”

“I want to create a physical link between us, for the benefit of any meditative techniques we choose utilize. This will decrease any difficulties we have in comprehending one another.”

When was the last time she allowed anyone to hold her? She doesn’t even shake hands most of the time and that hasn’t bothered her, not until now.  
Tentatively, she slips her fingers into the cathar’s, and she feels how Juhani’s grip is very gentle.  
“You have a point.”

“Now then, close your eyes and relax as much as possible. I understand this position may not make you entirely comfortable, nor will the overall session, but I want you to go as far as you are able.”  
At least Atris follows this suggestion, shutting her lids and waiting for further instructions.  
“There are certain things we must discuss, which pertain to your past.” 

“My past? Why?”

“Because we need to search your mind, to find what it is that causes these disturbances. The easiest way to unlock the truth in a way I might comprehend, is for us to talk about you, what affects and drives you.”

“And…you can’t simply ask some other personal questions, then?”

Juhani slowly shakes her head.  
“Not in this instance. It is clearly past actions that currently complicate your progress, and therefore, we must target those events specifically, driving each one out. If you would rather not do this, you can say so now.”

How much does Juhani know of counseling? While the Jedi can be pretty decent at judging people’s character and emotions, finding the heart of the issue can be much more complicated than a quick scan. Atris briefly wonders if Juhani is capable of such a thing, which is why it interests her.  
“I didn’t give in to your wisdom to flee now. Pose your questions.”

While she doesn’t see it, she can somehow feel that Juhani is smiling anyhow.  
“Very well. Let us start from what I believe to be the most suitable time period. Explain to me your feelings during the Mandalorian Wars.”

Almost immediately, Atris’ eyes shoot open once more, looking at Juhani with a mixture of anger and shock.  
“Why the hell would you need to know that?! What would be the purpose of talking of such things? I thought you said we’d discuss my past!”

“Yes, but the answer is simple, as I already explained it. I need to know you, Atris, in order for me to help you. And the Mandalorian Wars are part of your past, wouldn’t you say?”

“They’re part of everyone’s past! They attacked the galaxy! I thought you would ask about something regarding my childhood or a personal experience.”

“I am. Your feelings of the war are what interests me, not the events.  
Besides, I do not intend to judge you in any way, Atris. I merely seek to ask questions for you to answer from your own perspective.”

Taking another deep breath, Atris lets her eyes drift close again, and then sighs. She can already see where this will eventually lead, and she’s dreading the conclusion.  
“I…I don’t know. It was a very difficult scenario, with too many troublesome issues to describe it in any easy terms.”

Juhani’s own gaze turns somewhat skeptical.  
“Atris, I can sense your emotions. I know it is not the truth. You had feelings on the matter, strong ones as well. Surely you remember them?”

For a few seconds, Atris starts a sentence with just one word, something that ends in a sigh. This goes on for at least three or four times before she stops completely. Why would she have had to allow this physical and mental connection? She can’t block Juhani like this.  
“Fine, do you want to know how I felt? I was…skeptical of the reasons for the war. For the Republic’s involvement and even more so for the Jedi's.”

A few moments pass by, and while there’s certainly more on her mind, she tries to let it be. She should probably have expected that Juhani wouldn’t be satisfied.  
“There’s more to it, isn’t there?”

“I replied to your question, didn’t I?”

“Only partially. Atris, for this to work, you need to be honest, not just to me, but to yourself. If you do not intend to, then I must ask you to leave. I cannot help you if you refuse to be serious.”

At first, Atris both looks and feels annoyed. Was this not a reasonable answer? Juhani wanted to hear what she thought, and she gave her some kind of response. That’s fair, right? How can she just sit there and demand more? How will that help Atris in any way?  
However, before she even tries to express any of this out loud, the former Councilor scolds herself. Did she not come here to learn, to listen, to grow and gain some kind of assistance in order to clear her heart and conscience? Juhani’s reaction isn’t insolence, it’s wisdom and truth. Atris doesn’t know if she has dared offer that to anyone in the last few years, even herself.

“I…”, she starts, but interrupts herself with a brief sigh. Alright then, honesty. She needs to channel it, accept it as the only path.  
“First of all, I was…distraught, due to all the destruction by the mandalorians. Yes, I know, it may be obvious, but I swear it is what I felt. Perhaps I often act cold, but I couldn’t ignore what had been done. I very much understood Revan’s outrage and those who followed their call. However, I also can’t deny that I was disappointed.”

“Why?”

“The decision by the so-called ‘Revanchists’ was…hasty and wrong. They should never have acted in such a way. Not only did it escalate the violence with their enemies, but also created fractures in the Order itself. It only made the situation even more unstable on all fronts.”  
She stops again, but this time not to hide emotions, instead trying to search, knowing there is more. She bites her lower lip, unsure if she wishes to expand the confession. Can she really allow Juhani to hear this?  
Yes, she must.  
“I…I also felt betrayed.”

She opens her eyelids then, her gaze meeting Juhani’s. They watch each other for a few moments, and Juhani looks very intrigued, but does not act on it.  
“I see. Thank you for your honesty, Atris. Let us move to the next question.”

Atris furrows her brow, not understanding.  
“Wait a moment. You don’t want to know why I felt betrayed?”

Juhani stays calm, open, ready to receive, but only if it is given.  
“Do you wish to tell me why?”

That question on its own, sends an unexpected warmth into Atris’ heart. She hadn’t really trusted the previous words regarding judgement, but now, she’s not so sure. She gets some sort of indication that Juhani may be on her side after all.  
“No, let’s…let’s continue. Ask your next question.” Perhaps things will get better.

“My next question deals with another difficult subject – the destruction of Katarr. How did it make you feel?”

Or maybe she was wrong. Is Juhani doing this deliberately?  
“What? Did you not say you that you were _not_ trying to judge me? Was that a lie? Is this the real reason you called me here?”

Juhani nods curtly.  
“It is true, I did ask you to come in order to discuss these scenarios from your past, but I must continue to insist that I am not judging you. Again, I need to know, to understand you, not be guessing through the mist of your reality.”

Atris groans in annoyance.  
“Oh, come now, if you were not judging me, would you really confront me with such poignant issues? Don’t try to trick me, Juhani.”

She’s just about to tear her hands away, but Juhani seizes them before she can get a chance to. Not violently, but firmly enough to not let Atris escape.  
“Listen to me”, she says calmly. “Katarr was a significant event, one that meant a lot of things to a lot of people, including you. It cannot be denied that you were heavily involved in it. If I omit your reaction to it, how will it help either of us?  
And if I were judging you, do you not feel I would question your actions, flinging accusations, rather than ask for your perspective?”

The tension within the former Councilor is fierce now, practically vibrating throughout her body and she wants nothing more than release, to push everything else away and hide in her quarters. It would be preferable to this blatant and unwarranted trial.  
But then, she has to stop once more, to admit that she is letting her emotions rule her again. She can’t continue to allow it to go unchecked.  
With another deep sigh, she returns to her previous position, calming herself and searching her mind.

“It’s…difficult”, Atris finally confesses.

“I know, and no one will criticize you for saying that. All I want and ask for is honesty.”

Atris should be able to give her that much, if she makes an attempt. Hopefully.  
“If I truly dig into my mind, I will admit that I was obviously very sad. That’s not something I’m saying just to alleviate any of the crimes I may have committed. I honestly did not want any of them to die; not the Jedi, not any of those miraluka. And yes, sure, I may have realized what my actions would cause but…” She sighs and shrugs. “I didn’t want it to be true, refused to see it. I thought the risks were low.  
Above that, I suppose I can’t deny that I was angry, and still am. Angry that it occurred, that the Sith could not be stopped. I should have done something to prevent it, to oppose them, but instead, I wasn’t even present.”

Just to be sure, she waits a few seconds, to see if Juhani wishes to ask about it, to confront her in some way, but the cathar remains silent for now. It gives Atris the bravery to continue.  
“The last emotion regarding those events, which goes far beyond either of the previous two, is guilt. I may not have predicted the results, but I was still a part in causing them. The guilt evolved enough for me to feel…lost.  
Where would I go? The Jedi were practically gone at that stage because of me, as was Katarr. I wanted to hide, to flee, to never be heard from again. And so, I did. It is why I ended up here, on Telos IV.”

For a brief moment, she’s pretty sure that Juhani squeezes her hands a little bit, but it happens so quickly that she almost believes she imagined it.  
“Thank you. Let us continue”, she says, once more seeing no need to question Atris’ answers.  
“The Jedi Council. Talk to me a little bit about how they have made you feel.”

Thankfully, and unexpectedly, this one does not hit her as hard as the others. That should probably not be much of a surprise, as it’s a group she has much fewer bad memories of. That said, how is she supposed to answer it?  
“I’m not sure what to tell you. Do you mean in general or what it was like at the end?”

Juhani shrugs.  
“It does not matter. You are allowed to answer either way, or both, if you prefer.”

Well, that definitely gives her more leeway and materials to work with.  
“Alright then, I suppose I’ll choose the former. It might give you a better perspective.  
First and foremost, I had respect for them. I have to mention it first, because it’s an important aspect. We may have fought and disagreed a lot, but above all that, they always had my respect. I suppose, in certain ways, they still do, even if I am the only one left.”  
She lets the two stay quiet for a few seconds as she contemplates how to continue. Should she take them one at a time or everyone together? Perhaps the former might be too much. Without even thinking about it, she slowly caresses the back of Juhani’s hand.  
“Outside of that general sensation, I think it would be unfair not to mention that they brought me a lot of frustration. It was difficult to accept how often people didn’t want to listen, or how I could not get something done because they refused to cooperate."

“Did you fight with them often?”

“Well, I guess it depends how you define ‘fight’. We did not have much open bickering or rivalry, per se. It was a more general dissatisfaction with the group as a whole.”  
She snorts and shakes her head.  
“That actually reminds me of what I felt when I heard they were gone, that Kreia had killed them all. You know what I sensed at that time? Nothing. I was…empty, unperturbed. What did their deaths really matter? I always believed they were already gone anyhow, and nothing could really be done.”  
She lowers her head somewhat, shoulders slumping.  
“Perhaps that is callous of me, I don’t know. I’m not even sure I miss them.”

Whether Juhani dislikes that response or not, she can’t tell, as the cathar reveals nothing. She’s much better in that sense, it seems.  
“Thank you once more, and I am glad you found it somewhat easier to reply to this one. However, the next may be more difficult.  
I want you to talk about the Sith Triumvirate, or their defeat specifically. How did that make you feel?”

Just like previously, Atris lashes out again, although not quite as fiercely. Instead, she merely frowns, glaring at Juhani.  
“Excuse me? Why do you need to know that? That event wasn’t even something I experienced personally. I had already lost, if you haven’t been told.”

“Certainly, but even indirectly, it should matter to you, yes? You were a Jedi, a member of the Council, and in the past, they had hurt you and those you may have cared for. Their end surely affected you, didn’t it?”

Atris rolls her eyes, before she looks away.  
“Yes, fine, part of that might be true, but what it made me feel? I don’t know. I’m not even sure what to say. I feel too distant from it, like I don’t belong.”

“I don’t believe you. Search your heart, Atris, dig really deep and then tell me that you don’t find anything at all. In that case, I might accept such an answer.”

She shuts her eyes, submitting to the request, even if she thinks she shouldn’t have to. Was this not about her, and not someone else? Or perhaps that’s the whole issue, the direction Juhani is pushing her towards.  
“Alright, I…suppose I have found something.”

“Good. Go on.”

“Relief. I think that’s the most immediate sensation, but not for any obvious reasons. Instead, I was glad that the devastation and chaos I had created could no longer spread any further, that my guilt might possibly be alleviated. It wasn’t, of course, but I believed it at the time, and I am still relieved I can cause no more damage to the galaxy.”  
At first, she’s satisfied there, not because she wants to hide other aspects, but because she truly believes her own lies when she says there is no more. But what was it Juhani said about truthfulness?  
“But that’s not everything. There’s more.”

“Feel free to continue. I will not stop you.”

“The other sensation was probably…jealousy.”

“Against who? Or what?”

Atris opens her eyes, but gazes at the floor instead.  
“I believed _I_ should have been the one to destroy the Sith, to get revenge in the name of the Jedi. Obviously, that didn’t occur, and it probably never would have.  
The fact that it was Meetra who saw this through, a woman I had hoped to never see again, was difficult. It was…painful, that she was proven correct in everything she has ever believed.”

She pauses for a moment, believing that she’s going to continue shortly after, but it never comes. Atris realizes that she can’t, not at this time. Thankfully, Juhani seems to understand.  
“I think I am satisfied with this. We should move on to the last question, but this one is not specifically about your feelings of some major event. Instead, I wanted to discuss a preferred choice of yours.”

Atris looks at her, eyebrow raised in surprise.  
“A choice? Which one?”

“According to what I have heard, you asked to be exiled from the Order as your punishment. That is correct, yes?”

Where could she have heard that? Did she ask the others directly, or was it merely provided to her?  
“Yes, it is.”

“Why? Why did you prefer exile above any other sentence?”

It makes Atris snort somewhat amusedly.  
“That should be obvious by now, shouldn’t it? I believed that I had caused too much harm to the Order after all I had done. There was too much blood on my hands.  
I didn’t care for atonement, nor for the idea of helping the Jedi anymore. All I wanted was to disappear, to be purged.”

“But that didn’t happen?”

Atris frowns and looks to the side.  
“No, it didn’t, because Meetra would not allow it, wouldn’t simply let me be alone. Instead, she insisted that she must keep me here. She didn’t even let me stay behind the force field prison for too long. She’s a fool.”

Juhani slowly nods.  
“I can see how that might affect you. You _wanted_ to be punished, didn’t you?”

“Well, in certain ways, yes. It’s what you do to criminals, isn’t it?”  
Her expression softens, and once more, without thinking, her hand moves. She pushes her thumb into the back of Juhani’s hand, squeezing it.  
“Perhaps it’s silly, but I would rather have received the harshest of penalties, than be forced to serve the Order another moment. Unfortunately, the Jedi has never believed in capital punishment, nor torture.”

She surprises even herself with that confession, but Juhani manages to somehow extract these truths from her with such ease. Atris isn’t certain whether she should be glad that she can be so blunt, or worried that she allows it. How strong is this cathar’s influence?  
“Very well”, Juhani says, while she finally relinquishes Atris’ hands. The human widens her eyes at first, turning towards the Jedi. Now that the hands are gone, she suddenly misses them.  
“I think it is possible to make an initial conclusion now.”

“For what?”

“The source of your disturbance, on what troubles your mind. It is, to me, obvious that it’s heavily focused on Meetra Surik, and the way in which the two of you have been interlocked.”

Atris’ initial reaction, perhaps not surprisingly, is outrage. Why would it be Meetra? Why would Juhani believe such a thing when she has heard so little? As far as Atris remembers, she only voluntarily mentioned the currently Jedi leader during one question.  
But, then again, if she searches her heart, is there anything else she can find? Atris sighs.  
“I…guess that is based on some sort of truth. It wouldn’t be possible for me to ignore it. Meetra is and has been many things to me. It both infuriates and completes me.”

“How long has this been going on? Why has it lingered?”

Atris shrugs curtly.  
“For as long as I can remember. We have always interacted in some fashion, since the early days when she joined the Order after me. It was sort of an unavoidable aspect of life, really.”  
She halts here, instead starting to fidget with her hands. There is something else, an important aspect that she can either omit and safely ignore, or admit and possibly feel relieved that someone else finally knows, but at the same time realize what sort of future judgements it might raise. It is filled with hypocrisy, after all.  
“There were…feelings between us at some point, ones I never knew what to do with. Meetra seemed sure, however, and she was very open to embracing them. I told her it was dangerous, foolish and wrong, even if I still can’t say whether I believed that. She probably still blames me for it, angered by my choice.”

Juhani studies her with interest, still not seeming particularly resentful in any way.  
“You feel that it might have been her fault for getting swallowed by these thoughts?”

At this point, Juhani is practically giving Atris a chance to leave, to forget these things, but she realizes that it’s a feint. She would be lying, in that case.  
“No, it wouldn’t be fair to say that the fault was all hers.  
In many ways, these emotions, and my choice, affected me to a severe degree. Not just my judgement, but my beliefs and self-deception may have altered because of it. It probably pushed me.  
I’m not entirely sure whether it’s guilt, pain or anger that remains my strongest reaction. Perhaps a little bit of all three.”

While she listens, Juhani sits with her own hands put together, patiently waiting for Atris to work through her difficulties. After she is done, the cathar is silent, pondering the next step.  
“I have a conundrum I wish to pose for you, and I want you to answer it honestly.”

“Very well, I’ll do my best.”

“If there was a possibility for you to choose either to once more receive a chance to be with Meetra, or entirely purge your connection to that woman, what would you choose?”

Atris widens her eyes in surprise. What kind of question is that? Well, not entirely shocking, of course, as Jedi have discussed solutions like that before but, usually, individuals are not given choices.  
“Why would you ask that? It could never happen. She doesn’t…”

The words leave her, drifting away into her mind to be forgotten. They have to be.  
Juhani is not finished, however.  
“I know that, of course, but indulge me. What would you choose?”

To once more return some of the passions in Meetra, and possibly receive her love. Would Atris even embrace that? What would it mean?  
She bites her lip, somehow feeling that this is probably the most difficult issue they have discussed so far, and it’s not even real.  
“I…I don’t think I could do anything else than pick the purge option. Taking Meetra like that would not just bring a lot of difficulty, but also pain for others. I don’t want that. They do not deserve it.”

Shortly after, Juhani smiles, seemingly satisfied with those words.  
“Good. Thank you. I believe it is time to draw final conclusions, as I have no more questions.”

Atris breathes out, an increased sense of relief washing over her. She wasn’t sure she’d make it this far.  
“I’m impressed if you do. I’m not sure what I would say.”

“Well, it obviously requires some further assessment later on, but right now, I do believe I can see where it originates from.  
You have a knot in your mind, one that springs from the guilt and old emotions you had for Meetra. It’s unavoidable for you in every situation, somehow subtlety influencing your thoughts. I am not saying that the emotions themselves are the problem, but how you have suppressed them, and embedded them deep within your mental state. They have been allowed to fester and infect so much else.”

At some level, Atris can see the truth in it. Was it not why she was opposed to Meetra’s return to begin with? Was it not why she could so easily fall?  
“I see your point. Is there anything that can be done?”

“Yes, although not in the sense you might hope. I cannot purge your mind, nor would I, if I could. I saw what happened to Raekah years ago, and it’s not something I would ever consider repeating. It goes against all of my principles.  
What I can do, however, is help you along the way, to meditate and find your method of centering. We now have something to work with, after all. By using the pent-up feelings for Meetra, we can work around them, allow you to accept what has happened, rather than ignore it. In the end, they might never be purged entirely, but you will at least be able to control them. Who knows? Perhaps you will move on when you are ready.”

Atris nods slowly, gazing down at the floor.  
“I see.”

“Is this something you would consider? Is it what you want? If that is the case, then I will offer to be your guide.”

This whole meeting has felt like it lasted for hours, and yet it probably hasn’t even reached one. To get through her problems, to be able to seize control once more, she will have to dedicate a lot more time, and an abundance of herself. Is she ready for it? There are still other ways, routes to escape through, excuses to make.  
Atris looks into Juhani’s eyes once more and then places a hand on hers, squeezing the Jedi’s fingers.  
“I do.”

Juhani smiles in return, interlocking their hands.  
“Then we will get through this together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _You know, when I thought of the interaction between these two a couple of months ago, I had initially envisioned an Atris/Juhani scenario. I figured it might be fun to do a romance of sorts, because I like both characters. It might be interesting as well, based on their personalities and experiences. But then I had to stop and sort of consider if that would be fair, mostly to Juhani._
> 
> _Atris has done some pretty heinous crap in the past and it was indirectly her fault that Katarr was destroyed. There's also a lot of mental issues that Atris would have to deal with and it might be a bit of a burden for Juhani. Should I really force a romance on her? Would she even want that?_   
>  _This is why I took a step back and wondered what Juhani might do, as I still wanted them to interact and I felt like she might want to see the good in Atris, and work on a way to mend her. Juhani was taken by dark thoughts in the past, on the verge of possibly becoming Sith, and she probably knows how that feels, so there's still a bond that can be pulled at._
> 
> _This is why she approached Atris, and wanted to help center her, before they move onto Atris atoning for her crimes. Because yes, she is going to, although that won't be seen specifically in this story. Maybe I'll write a standalone fic like that in the future? I haven't decided._   
>  _However, I would still like to believe that, while I won't say a romance happens between them, Atris probably falls for Juhani, for everything the cathar does to help her, no matter how hard it has been._
> 
> _Next week, there won't be a chapter for this fic, as I'm gonna be writing something different during that entire week. This story will return on Thursday the 2nd._


	42. Scorched horizon

The system of Nathema rarely sees much activity, mostly due to a specific planet, the one that shares its name, previously known as Medriaas. The unnervingly quiet and hollow world has long been a hidden source of disturbance in the Force, unknown to those who would seek it, and only vaguely appearing in the back of the minds of those with too much burdens to realize its existence. There are no other habitable planets in this particular district, and after centuries of certain people reportedly going missing in the area, most tend to avoid the same passage. 

However, during this particular day cycle, a surge of activity suddenly arrives. Signals and energies from hyperdrives are on course for these coordinates, with the end goal of orbiting the same world. Only minutes later, a whole range of ships appear from several corners of the galaxy.  
Not only is it a whole array of mandalorian ships – a quite unusual sight to begin with – but also one from the Sith Empire, one from somewhere in the Republic, and of course, the Ebon Hawk. Perhaps not the most impressive fleet in the galaxy, but the people inside are some of the most feared, respected, and experienced forces available. 

Each of the singular ships, along with one from the mandalorians, all decide to approach each other in the middle, and after a little bit of discussion, they choose to meet on the Ebon Hawk. It is, after all, the only ship that they’ve all been on or have visited at some point during their lives.  
As soon as the group of Jedi enter the central room, Meetra smiles and moves up towards Raekah, wrapping arms around the former Jedi to hug her tightly. 

“Just so you know, it’s kinda annoying that you keep running away from us.”

Rae arches her brow somewhat amusedly.  
“I didn’t know I ran away.”

“You totally did! After already being gone for so long, I kinda wish you’d try to stick around for once. The enclave isn’t the same without you.” 

As a response, Rae chuckles.  
“I’m sorry, Meetra. I don’t mean to leave you, but I rarely have much choice.  
And hey, look on the bright side – once this is over, we will have lots of time to hang out.”

When they lean back to give each other some space, Meetra smirks.  
“Yeah, that better be a promise. There’s tons of stuff we need to do. I haven’t shown you some of my favorite vid shows, and then there’s double dates with Bastila and Visas. Oh, and what if we get married? You need to be there!”

“Well, I want to, of course! We just need more time.”

From another corridor, Scourge walks out with his arms folded, and rolls his eyes.  
“Are Jedi always this emotional? Doesn’t your Code warn people against it?”

Meetra’s expression continues as she looks in Scourge’s direction.  
“Are you always this much of a bore? Doesn’t the Sith Code speak a lot about the benefits of passion or something like that?”

Scourge furrows his brow, snorts, and turns his gaze away.  
“Fair enough.”

Several more people enter the room as well then, with the entirety of the current Jedi Order, Mandalore, Atris, Juhani, HK-47, T3-M4, and Jolee. All of them have to be here, as they’re aware how needed they are.  
The sight makes Bastila smile.  
“It’s…both strange and good to see everyone gathered on the Ebon Hawk again.”

Mira mirrors this expression while she keeps an arm around Brianna.  
“It’s good to be back. Feels like this old rust bucket never changes.”

Brianna looks at her skeptically.  
“That is not true. It has clearly been cleaned since we last visited the vessel.”

“Not what I meant, Bree.”

Canderous removes his helmet and leaves it under his arm, showing that he still hasn’t shaved since they last saw him. Must be that piece of praise Rae gave him.  
“Well, as someone who has been with both crews, it is kinda weird to see you all gathered in one place.”

Jolee snorts.  
“Yeah, much more crowded than the last time I joined your travels, and we don’t even have the wookiee here! Then again, this guy is pretty much the same size”, he says, and indicates Scourge. 

“What’s a ‘wookiee’?”, Scourge asks.

For now, they ignore his question and Juhani smiles somewhat wistfully.  
“It is a little bit of a shame that Mission, Zaalbar, and Carth could not be with us. Despite all the new companions we have received, I must admit that I miss their voices.”

Bastila nods in agreement.  
“Indeed. Mission especially could’ve helped spread some positivity and flare here, I’m sure, and Zaalbar’s strength could be useful against our enemies. Carth probably would have been able to convince the Republic to join us as well.”

Her comments make Rae sigh.  
“And that’s exactly why we can’t ask any of them to come. Mission and Zaalbar already have their lives, which I don’t wish to interrupt. As for Carth, the Republic isn’t ready to be involved in this fight, not yet. I don’t want fear to spread among the military and the population. It needs to grow and regain its strength, without us and the fear of the future. That’s why we’re doing this, and why we’re out here.”

A few seconds of silence passes through the room then, especially among those who used to travel with the three individuals mentioned.  
Eventually, Atton takes the opportunity to break the quiet contemplation.  
“Well, gotta admit that I’d have preferred to receive all the fame and glory from the Republic when we beat the Emperor, but I guess I can live with the knowledge of how awesome we were.”

His comment brings the smiles back to some, but Bao-Dur looks skeptical.  
“Perhaps you shouldn’t make assumptions before the battle has even started.”

“What, you saying that you doubt us?”

“No, just that we need to be cautious.”

Atton folds his arms.  
“And I’m not? C’mon, it’s practically my middle name.”

Bao rolls his eyes.  
“Sure it is, in your dreams.”

“Hey! Did you hear about the mental trick I used to block mind reading?”

Some in the group even start to laugh as they hear this bickering, which makes Meetra share an amused gaze with Rae.  
“You see why travelling with these people could be a handful?”

Rae chuckles.  
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

Mira turns towards their teacher, eyeing her skeptically.  
“Uh, excuse me? Look who’s talking.”

“What? Are you saying I was annoying during the trip?”, Meetra asks her.

“I guess it depends who you ask, but I felt it could be unnerving when you decided to peek at our thoughts.” 

“Or insist that you could fly better than me”, Atton adds.

“Or wake me up early in the morning for practice”, says Brianna.

“Or when you snored”, Bao-Dur comments.

Meetra arches her brow skeptically.  
“Hey, what? Snore? When did I ever do that?”

The rest of the team looks at Visas, who is still quiet. This gets her attention.  
“What is it?”, she asks.

Atton gestures with his hand between the two.  
“Don’t you have something you wanna complain about to our ‘illustrious’ leader?”

Visas contemplates this inquiry, lifting her hand up to her chin and strokes it in thought.  
“Hmm. Perhaps that she rarely stays on her side of the bed. She is very…cuddly, even in her sleep.”

While the rest of the gang laughs, Meetra smirks and walks up to her girlfriend, embraces her and nudges a nose into Visas’ cheek.  
“You like when I do that. Don’t lie”, she whispers.

The only one who has not had fun reminiscing and discussing parts of their crew is Scourge, and he is the one who now tries to get their attention by clearing his throat.  
“While I’m sure this is a very enjoyable and frivolous conversation for all of you, I believe we should remain focused on the task at hand. Are you even prepared to fight the Emperor yet? We haven’t established this fact.”

His tone and words does bring a more solemn nature to the atmosphere, even if some people don’t appreciate it.  
Rae returns her attention to Meetra.  
“That’s a good question. Have you and the rest of the Jedi decided upon a plan yet?”

Meetra sighs, taking a step away from Visas and folds her arms.  
“Well, first of all, it’s not quite that simple, actually. We’ve been talking about it ever since we showed our demonstration to you, and there are no straightforward answers here.”

Bao nods briefly.  
“I agree with the General. Even though we’ve been completing numerous tests to assess its strength and capability, that does not necessarily mean the device will definitely defeat the Emperor. Without actually allowing us a chance to target the Emperor directly, we don’t know exactly what will happen. All I can do is speculate.”

Obviously, Scourge is not entirely satisfied with this conclusion, and he frowns at the zabrak.  
“Does that mean we have no chance at all then? That would make this whole endeavor rather complicated.”

“No, of course not. I’m not saying it’s hopeless, merely that there are a lot of questions.  
We have devised enough of a plan to at least be sure which method we prefer and what would be most useful. We just don’t know that it will work with a 100% certainty.” 

Bastila tilts her head curiously.  
“You have decided what line of attack would be best then?”

The engineer turns his head towards Meetra, wanting her to relay the news. The Jedi leader takes a deep breath before she responds.  
“After having a lot of arguments and lengthy discussions, we finally determined that containment is still our preferred method. It’s not perfect, but after certain alterations, we agreed that it’s the best way to continue.”

Bao nods once more.  
“I have made several adjustments to the machine’s core mechanics, which has made sure that it now fully targets the void inside of Meetra, and of course, Vitiate.”

Rae looks at him with quite a bit of fascination.  
“You actually managed to make adjustments to something the gree created? I know I’ve said it before but, you continue to impressive me, Bao-Dur.”

It makes him sigh to think about it.  
“Thank you, Supreme Commander, but it was not an easy task. I had to work hard, dig my way through a lot of translations and weird gree algorithms. Their files and programs don't even operate on the same level as ours. I felt almost like a child.”

Meetra smiles and pats his shoulder.  
“Well, you still did a great job, so no need to be modest.”

“Perhaps, but I’d prefer not to do it again, not with such a short deadline at least.  
I am almost completely sure that I have adjusted it correctly, based on my calculations. They did seem to indicate that it will draw from this void, at the very least.  
Before we entered the Ebon Hawk, I made another quick test, and from the results I received, it does seem that the device reacts to Nathema too. This tells me that we might be able to utilize the planet, after all.”

Most of what Bao tells them is rather positive for their strategy, but some questions still remain.  
“How will that work, though?”, Bastila asks. “How will we target the Emperor? Will we have to board his ship?”

Bao briefly shakes his head.  
“From my estimates, no, that won’t be necessary. Sure, like Canderous asked me last time, it will not quite function as a gun, but that does not mean it won’t have range.  
As you are all probably aware, the Force does not really operate with such strict limits. It is all around us, and some abilities can reach across time and space. Based on our test results, I now strongly believe that we can safely sit from afar and merely aim it at the Emperor’s vessel.”

“That doesn’t mean this will be as simple as pulling the trigger, though”, Meetra adds.  
“The difficulty in this entire scenario will be to take care of him afterwards. Even if we lock him down, will that be enough? We don’t know yet.”

Canderous doesn’t look particularly worried and shrugs towards them.  
“Can’t we just board his ship, like Bastila suggested? I’ve brought a lot of mandalorians with me from a bunch of clans. We can fight our way across his halls, I’m sure. My people never shy away from a fight, no matter how strong this guy thinks he is.”

“Sadly, it will not be a simple walk in the park”, Scourge remarks. “Vitiate does not intend to come alone. He has decided to bring an entire division of Imperial Guards with him.”

Those words don’t mean a whole lot to most of the people involved, but Meetra looks fairly troubled, raising a hand to tap her cheek in thought.  
“Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning those guys. They’re bound directly to the Emperor, right?”

“Correct, and they are some of the most elite fighters in the Empire, talented enough to challenge most Sith. If the Dark Council ever steps out of line, the Imperial Guard constantly stands ready to take them all out for insubordination. It has happened before.”

Some of the others look a little worried, but Canderous merely snorts and slams his fist into the palm of his other hand.  
“Sounds like a good challenge to me.”

Bao inclines his head.  
“You are right, Lord Scourge, but that is not our only issue here. If he has more ships, then we must also watch our aim. We will need a clear shot if we are to succeed.  
Utilizing Meetra’s void, along with Nathema’s essence, will cause a lot of damage to Vitiate, but this will only work for as long as we stay safe. We won’t have much time to focus on defenses or battle. These Imperial Guards will likely try to target us as soon as we harm their leader.”

“Not a problem”, Canderous states confidently. “That’s why you brought the mando’ade. Not only do we have the capability to fight in space and board any ships the imps bring, we’ve also got a bunch of starfighters. Leave those forces to us.”

Most seem like they agree with him. If there’s anything they can trust mandos with, it’s to win a battle, even in space. Scourge looks towards Mandalore with interest.  
“My knowledge of them is not substantial, but I can certainly provide you with some general information and other tactical knowledge that I’ve been taught of imperial warfare, in your fight against the Imperial Guard.”

“Good enough for me.”

Meetra changes the action of her hand, to instead scratch her cheek.  
“What about the Emperor’s ship? I bet he’ll come in some big cruiser or dreadnought. It will probably wanna defend him from any damage. I bet it’s got a bunch of cannons as well.”

“True”, Rae admits. “Perhaps it’s best if we divide our forces. This includes our team, so that we can help out with a variety of things.  
Scourge and I can fly one of the other ships, in order to distract the Emperor’s vessel. If we have a couple of mandalorian starfighters at our back, we should be a substantial force.”

Atton glances between Rae and Meetra.  
“You’re gonna need a good pilot to fly the ship with the device, so that it stays out of harm’s way. I’m the best in this team.”

Meetra smiles and inclines his head.  
“He’s right. Atton can do the job better than anyone. Plus, if we use the Ebon Hawk for this purpose, he already knows her pretty well.”

“Oh, definitely. She loves me.”

Bastila turns towards Canderous.  
“The rest of the Jedi Order can aid you and the mandalorians against the Imperial Guard, especially if you decide to board their vessels. As for me, I have my battle meditation. I offer it to you now, if you wish to utilize it in your efforts. It could help change the entire course of the battle.”

Despite how obvious it should be, her suggestion actually surprises him a little bit.  
“Heh, the famed battle meditation of the Jedi, finally being on the side of the mandalorians? About time, I say.  
Obviously, I’m not gonna turn down an offer like that.”

This makes Bastila chuckle and she winks at him.  
Rae takes a deep breath, letting her gaze slowly sweep across the room, eyeing each of their team.  
“So, are we ready to do this, then? I know everyone here has been through all kinds of hardships and struggles, survived battles, pain, and regrets that few can ever compare with. The hells of Corellia probably wouldn’t even be enough to describe it, and yet, what we have to do now is perhaps even beyond that.  
Are you truly prepared to take on a battle that is not just crucial for the survival of the galaxy, but one that may be unknown to the wider parts of it? You won’t be heroes to the people out there. You’ll just be a group of Jedi who continue to do what we’ve always done.”

Fortunately, there isn’t much hesitation, as she receives several nods and smiles from almost everyone.  
Meetra herself even smirks somewhat at the cautious tone that Rae emits.  
“Don’t worry, my team is used to that by now. The most important part of all is that, in the end, we will know what we’ve done. If we have no regrets when it’s all over, and a future to look forward to, nothing else matters.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _About the wookiee thing, as far as I know or have read, wookiees and Kashyyyk were never involved in the Great Hyperspace War and no wookiees have been shown as slaves in the Sith Empire, so I kinda just assumed that they might not have been. It made for a fun moment anyway._
> 
> _So, there'll be about four chapters before we get to the actual battle. Two are somewhat anxious romance fluff, one is pretty important plot stuff, and another is...reminiscent of my chapter with Kreia. You'll see what I mean next week._


	43. Apprentice and Deserter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I wanna start this chapter by saying that I've made two corrections in this story. As I was writing this chapter, I realized I had made the mistake of implying that Bastila and Raekah was on the Ebon Hawk, both in the last chapter and in the "weapon demonstration" chapter. Obviously, that was wrong, as they were supposed to be on their own ship. Anyway, that's rectified now._   
>  _SO MUCH FOR MY PERFECT VISION OF A REWRITTEN REVAN NOVEL_

Memories. They are fleeting and unruly things, difficult to predict and not always trustworthy. Raekah should be more than aware of that by now, after all the things she has endured that has affected them. It appears that hers are especially interesting to several individuals around the galaxy and throughout history, which has caused her much pain. Sometimes, she wonders if it might not have been for the best to simply forget, to have allowed the Jedi to strip her of everything and never let it return. The Emperor might’ve never bothered her again, nor would her nightmares or the mystery which evaded her. She, Bastila and Vaner could’ve lived a happier life, somewhere unknown in the galaxy.

Raekah has always been a contemplative individual, of course, thinking too much of what is the righteous path for her to take, how to act with all the power that is in her hands. It’s what made her strike out against the mandalorians, what made her challenge Mandalore, what forced her to oppose the Emperor despite all the odds against her. Were these the best choices? Probably not. Had she looked at them from more than one angle, maybe the outcome would have been different.  
That’s why it’s so hard for her to stand here once more, on the bridge of the Ebon Hawk. It was never the vessel she was on the longest, nor was it particularly useful, but it was certainly there for them. Even more than that, her life changed and twisted so many times within its hold, that it’s almost hard to keep track of it all. 

Standing inside this vessel and gazing out towards the exterior, with the ominous planet in the distance, is almost nostalgic, even though she didn’t come here with this specific ship until recently.  
Nathema, a planet she has visited several times already by now, and yet every single one has been increasingly unpleasant. This current one is not any better, as this is where it will all end, either for her enemy or for her. It has to, as she realizes they cannot continue living in the same galaxy. The only relief she gets is that this might also be the last time she looks on this forsaken world.

If she and the others succeed here, a struggle which has lasted for all too long can finally be completed. It will be revenge not just for what she endured, but for the Republic, the Outer Rims, the Jedi, hell, even the mandalorians.  
Then again, if they all die, the Republic may be on the brink of extinction too. She can’t see a future with the Republic fighting alone against the Empire and Vitiate without losing. They just aren’t ready. In that sense, this will truly be over after the battle is done with. Another relief or a terrifying nightmare for the future?

While she’s lost in her thoughts, almost forgetting where she is, she suddenly hears a voice behind her, of a familiar nature, which only mildly startles her.  
“Here you are again, facing certain doom.”

She turns to face an individual she hasn’t seen in a long time; years, maybe even more. Fair skin, tight red outfit, and no hair, as the head is instead adorned with blue-grey tattoos, shaped as two lines. However, what she cannot see is the prosthetic jaw, nor the grey eyes. Instead, they are blue.  
This is not the expected figure, as this person had been lost in the unfortunate events of the past. This is Alek, as she remembers him, not Darth Malak. It is the old friend she grew close to, created an identity and movement to save the galaxy with, and then began a rivalry while their fates changed. 

Despite all that has occurred, and the difficulty of their last encounter, Raekah smiles. Perhaps it is not him in the flesh, but whatever he is, she is thankful to see him again.  
“That is certainly true, but did you expect anything else?”

Alek raises his arms and folds them over his chest, snorting somewhat ambiguously.  
“From you? Probably not. You have always been rather self-destructive.”

She inclines her head, not going to entirely deny this. What would be the point? It’d be a lie.  
“Maybe, but this isn’t about dying, though; it’s about survival, the preservation of the galaxy. I suppose that’s what it has always focused on, right? Even during our days.”

He keeps staring at her for a few moments, before he slowly begins to move across the bridge, walking around the edge of it.  
“You aren’t surprised to see me, from what I can tell.”

Raekah shrugs.  
“Should I be? You and I have been connected for ages, Alek, long before the Empire we created and destroyed. I figured you’d pop up somewhere, as the coming of the end closed in.  
In fact, I’m a little disappointed you haven’t sought me out sooner. Could’ve used you in some places, you know.”

Alek scoffs and shakes his head.  
“I did not find a reason to. You lived your life undisturbed, as it should have been. At least, that’s what I thought.  
But now, seeing you here above this world yet again, I sensed that a special moment in history had arrived. It was an opportunity we could both seize.”

“Well, dunno if it’ll be good or bad. I guess it depends on how the battle ends, unless you’ve got insight into it.”

Just as she may have expected, Alek does not answer this sentence directly. That’s the thing with ghosts, they’re rarely helpful in any direct manner.  
“I have been watching you for quite some time, Revan. That you would be the one to live for so long was not something I ever anticipated.”

She smiles once more, somewhat wistfully.  
“Neither did I, to be honest. My life has taken so many unpredictable turns in order to get here. If someone had told me how strange everything in my future would be during the war, I would’ve just thought they were insane. That may have been a dangerous way to live, but it’s nothing compared to what has happened since.”

Alek turns to look at her again, even if he hasn’t really slowed.  
“There's some truth to that, but you don’t have any regrets, do you?”

Regret. She must’ve explored that word a million times since her first war, and yet, how is it defined in her heart now?  
“Some, but not an overwhelming amount. Some days, I feel like I really should have more, but I am content for the most part. Maybe I have to be, in order to stay alive.”

He stares at her for a few moments, until he finally stops.  
“I find that response to be quite…strange. Surprising, even.”

“How so? You think I should regret my actions?”

“Not out of any sense of guilt, no, but your own justice.”

She’s getting confused now. What angle is he seeing that she’s missing?  
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

He furrows his brow slightly, putting his hands behind his back.  
“Well, let’s start with one of the most important aspects, shall we? The Jedi. Why did you not strike out against them after you had defeated me? It seemed to be the most logical from my perspective.”

Raekah looks even more doubtful, her eyes moving searchingly.  
“Attack the Jedi? Alek, they helped me against Mal-…you. Why would I repay them with destruction?”

“Did they? They wiped your mind, Revan, erased who you were against your will. Everything you had been up until that point was something they were willing to sacrifice.”

It’s Raekah’s turn to scowl now and even though she doesn’t want to, she lets her eyes drift away, finding it impossible to keep meeting his gaze.  
“That’s…well, technically, it’s what the Emperor already did to us years ago, no?”

He shakes his head, hands clenching behind his back.  
“Don’t give me that banthashit. It does not change what the Jedi performed on you. It’s as much of a war crime as anything we or the mandalorians did. Will you just forgive them, forget it ever happened? That’s not the Revan I knew.”

She feels rage building inside her chest, indignation settling in her heart. Alek used to have that effect on her, even back then. She tries to disperse it with a sigh.  
“I’m not Revan anymore, Alek. That title is long gone. I don’t even have the mask.”

Now, he approaches her, taking a couple of steps closer, while waving his arm dismissively.  
“Irrelevant! It doesn’t matter. Raekah, Revan, whatever – fundamentally, your values have stayed the same. You believe what you’ve always believed. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be out here, you wouldn’t be fighting the Emperor, you wouldn’t have stopped me, and you wouldn’t have left the Jedi Order.”

Raekah raises a hand to rub at the bridge of her nose. She feels how he’s pretty close now, his height towering above her.  
“To a certain extent, you may be right, but it’s not a universal truth, Alek. No one can stay the same forever.”

He continues to stare at her, something which turn into a glare, until he realizes she won’t face it. Instead, he snorts again and turns away, resuming his slow-paced journey.  
“I realize you may think I’m wrong about you, but it sounds more like you are lying to yourself. Not really news to anyone, I suppose.”

She feels like he’s trying to goad her, to push her into a certain state, but she doesn’t know which or why. Reluctantly, she gazes back at him, even if she can’t see his eyes.  
“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you don’t think you’re the same person anymore, correct? And yet you’re out here again, in this miserable emptiness. Why?  
Why are you not at home with your wife and child, the things you fought so hard to maintain?”

It annoys her that he may have a point, that his words hit the exact spots she would prefer to ignore. He would be one to succeed with such things, though.  
“You don’t understand. I’m here because I’m needed in this place. It has to be done. I have to protect my family, something I can only do out here.”

Alek peers over his shoulder from where he’s standing, simply gazing into her eyes. He doesn’t respond to her, not at first, until she suddenly feels a hand on her shoulder.  
“You’re being naive, Revan”, she hears from a similar and yet different voice behind her. This same person continues the move, seizing her shoulder harder and forcefully turns her around. She is now faced with the distorted image of her friend, the paler, grey-eyed, and cybernetically altered version – Darth Malak, the man she had a part in creating.  
“You should not be lying to yourself any more than you’re doing to me”, he now says in an echoing tone. “You don’t even know who you are at this point, where you have come from, nor where you’re going.”

It’s painful to see him like this, to hear it. If she wasn’t feeling guilty enough before, she certainly does now. Those emotions rush into her chest, piercing her heart. She can’t stop staring at that jaw. Was that really her or merely something Vitiate created in her? Perhaps if she-…  
No, she has to take responsibility, to understand what damage she has caused. To ignore it would not be fair to him or anyone else.

“Alek, please, listen to me-“

“ _No_ ”, he tells her firmly, squeezing her shoulder a bit harder, “you will be the one to listen.  
You were once a Padawan that questioned her life and the Jedi, grew into a Knight that wanted justice, and then a General that commanded legions.  
You fought wars in order to stop the mandalorians, fought to bring down the Emperor that had manipulated us all, before returning as a Sith and a deceived puppet, a warlord. The Jedi wiped your memory, but still you continued to fight, defeated me, before leaving everything behind. You discarded the title of a Jedi, vowing to never return. This is what I cannot understand.  
You wanted to end who you were, to never let them trap you again in their web of lies, but you did not utilize what power you had. Why did you not destroy them while you had the chance, for what they did to you and your family? Fighting is what you do, Revan. It is who you are.”

She doesn’t like his tone, his gaze, nor his hold. Trying to at least ease some of it, she groans and pushes his hand off, which he seemingly allows. For now, she allows their eyes to remain interlocked.  
“Because I had enough of that, Alek. I didn’t want any more of it. I refused to be involved with them or the Republic when I had done what was needed. A life of solitude was preferable; even you must understand that.”

He tilts himself forward, their faces being no more than a few centimeters from each other now.  
“And yet, instead of lingering in that passive reality, you started searching for answers, for the truth about the Emperor.  
Why will you never stand still, Revan? Why will you never accept what you have been given and instead prefer to constantly be in motion? If you really wanted to, you could surely find peace in some abandoned corner, to ignore the conflicts of the galaxy, especially the Republic.”

His words are incessant and difficult to stop, but she won’t back down now. She frowns and clenches her hands.  
“If I do that, my life will not be free, it won’t be safe. I know that the Emperor will come after us and eventually destroy everything. You remember our duel against him, don’t you? He knows too much.”

Alek raises his hand and gestures at another side of the room, towards the rest of the ship.  
“But there are other Jedi out there, Raekah, who are ready to do the fighting for you. Why will you not leave the Emperor to them?”

“What? Now you’re saying I shouldn’t fight when I can?”

“No, I’m revealing your lack of introspection, your inability to choose. You are caught in a duality, a crossroads in life.  
Constantly, the galaxy offers you two routes - family or war. You can have a way out of the misery or you can live in conflict. The destruction of the Jedi would have given you revenge and stopped future imbalances, but you ignored this calling. You let it flourish and fester. On the opposite end, you could have forgotten about the memories that were stripped from you, remained ignorant, but you couldn't stop searching. You want freedom and peace, but you are not ready to accept that burden, because you are a fighter.  
Why can you not choose? Your lack of conviction will be your end."

The sharpness and the anger are still aimed at him, and it makes her consider possibly lashing out, to tell him how wrong he is about everything, but she knows this won’t help. It’s just the irrationality within her, the inner voice of another individual. She is not that person anymore and therefore tries to ignore it.  
“Yeah, maybe you’re right. I want to be both a good wife and mother, while still maintaining my identity as a Jedi and a fighter, even though these two sides don’t mesh well together.  
You’re partially correct about another thing too – I have been naive. I would’ve accepted a life of joy, peace, and ignorance, but that can’t happen, not yet. I have to try to be both for as long as I can, until the Emperor is defeated. While he’s out there, I can never get what I desire, nor can anyone else. It always comes back to him. Since I know most about who he is and what he’s capable of, I have to be there. My responsibility is ordering me to oppose him, one last time.”

It appears that she has somehow made Alek understand, and his head slowly leans back, even if he still stands there in his Malak appearance.  
“And what of the consequences?” 

“If this will be the end of it, I’m fine with that, as long as I can give those I love a chance for a better future. They mean everything to me, Alek. Everything.”

He lowers his gaze to the floor, hesitating somewhat, before he slowly takes a step back. He decides to view her with both understanding and doubt, as if her own thoughts are reflected in him.  
“Aren’t you even a little bit afraid you might be forced to join me?”

The tone of his voice interests her, as if he somehow feels guilty about that as well. Despite what they’ve just been discussing, she manages to display a faint smile for him.  
“Not at all. At least I’ll be able to join a friend.”

Alek stares into her eyes for a few more moments, until his old form returns, the Alek she remembers. He doesn’t give her the same friendly gesture, but he does bow his head in respect. After that, he disperses.  
In his place, the door slides open and she sees how Bastila walks inside, looking both worried and confused.

“Darling, what’s going on? You were…talking or yelling.”  
She glances around.  
“Is there someone else here?”

Raekah takes a deep breath and then shakes her head.  
“No, there isn’t.”

Bastila arches her brow confusedly.  
“Then what were you doing?”

She thinks about making some excuse, lying to perhaps cover herself, but what would be the point?  
Instead, she approaches her wife and lifts a hand to caress Bastila’s cheek.  
“I was…being reminded of why I do this, and how far I’m ready to go.”

Bastila takes a moment to search her eyes, to see if she can understand any better, but there’s little truth available.  
“You are very strange sometimes.”

A short chuckle, before Raekah leans forward and kisses her briefly.  
“I agree. And yet, that’s why you married me, right?”

Even if she knows that it’s partially true, Bastila isn’t about to just give her that one, and instead, the other woman rolls her eyes.  
“Somehow, I think it’s still a mystery.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I feel like I had an idea for his chapter that didn't quite come out the way I wanted. NEVERMIND_   
>  _I'll make it up to you with some Meetra/Visas next week._


	44. Heartfelt reminders

The hours of preparation for the oncoming eruption of activity have gone by, as the entire force is doing its best to get itself into an acceptable state. For many, this is just another dangerous situation in a line of unbroken violence, which they wallow in throughout their lives, while others are getting the first scent of combat in months, maybe years.  
Unbeknownst to most within the various ships, especially the Ebon Hawk, this is the night before the battle, the calm before the storm. That said, even if they may not know the truth, many can still feel it in the air.

As Visas wanders through the corridors of the Ebon Hawk, she is currently heading towards the cabin that she has been using these past few days, the one which she also utilized during their travels in the struggle against the Sith Triumvirate. She knows that she will find Meetra in there, the one from their crew who has been rather distant as of late, but it’s not particularly strange to consider why. With the circumstances and what Meetra will be forced to do, Visas would never judge her for trying to find some time to be alone.

Once she enters the cabin, she spots Meetra sitting on the floor, her back leaning against the foot of the bed, as she keeps a handheld holoprojector in front of her. The sound from the door makes her look up from it, however, and she offers both a smile and a small wave towards the new arrival.  
“Hey there, beautiful.”

Visas takes only a few steps in, remaining by the entrance, so that the door can close behind her. Her face is still turned towards Meetra, though.  
“Are you feeling alright?”

Meetra emits an amused snort, before she shrugs.  
“Yeah, I guess. At least if you consider what we’re about to face.”

Words that probably stay true for the entire crew. Visas can’t get it out of her head either, even if she would wish to.  
“A lot of the preparations for the encounter have been finished now. There’s very little left to do.”

“Yeah, I know.”  
Meetra sighs and slides down further against the bed’s frame.  
“I wanted to help out some more, but Bao-Dur insisted that I get some rest. Not that I agree, but he tells me I’ll need it for when it’s time to…you know.”

For oblivion. Perhaps that’s a bit melodramatic, but Visas fears that it may be true.  
“I happen to agree with this particular assessment, and therefore cannot really complain. I am glad that he aids me in looking out for you.”

“Tsk. This is a scheme, right? I bet the rest of you are having a great party on the other side of the ship and I’m not allowed to join!”

While she smirks, finding her own humor pretty funny, Visas merely stares at her. She can’t really expect her girlfriend to stay serious, even when death looms above them. In fact, maybe this is the exact time when she has to joke, to keep herself and those around her grounded in reality. Visas may feel that such behavior doesn’t take the situation seriously enough, but she will also admit that she loves this side of Meetra. She might not actually be fearless, but this attitude gives the impression of it.

“Well, I did not actually come here to discuss our operations”, Visas explains. “I wanted to see how you were doing. You have been alone for most of the day.”

With the solemn attitude, Meetra’s expression grows to mirror it and she displays a faint smile when she returns her gaze to the projector in her hand.  
“I guess so. Been watching some vids and reading up on various information I’ve got stored about old meditation techniques. I’ve been too restless to use them, but at least I found some stuff that helped me calm down.”

Visas tilts her head curiously.  
“What is it that you are doing now? Viewing photos?”

“Mhm, just some old ones. You know, uh…good memories of the past, which I hadn’t checked for a while. Well, most of ‘em, anyway. Lets me stay focused and hopeful for the future, because I know I have survived tough shit before.”  
She looks sideways at Visas.  
“You wanna see them?”

Visas exhales briefly and shakes her head.  
“You know I cannot.”

Surprisingly, Meetra doesn’t stop and instead offers her a small smirk.  
“Actually, that isn’t true today.”  
She leans over towards a bag that she left next to the bed and pulls something out of it. Visas notes how she sees energy erupting from the item within Meetra’s hand, of a very familiar nature.  
“You remember those information crystals you ordered from Alpheridies? I brought one of ‘em, just in case you wanted to join me.”

Calling them by that name isn’t really enough to explain their purpose, but it is technically true. As miraluka do not have the same kind of sight as many other species, they have had to use different ways to attain information from terminals, datapads and other technology that is not developed by and for miraluka. The miraluka do have their own tech, some which incorporate these crystals – similar to ones utilized in lightsabers – which allows them to perceive digital pictures or vids through touch, if plugged into a device.

“Oh”, Visas starts, “in that case, I will.”  
She approaches Meetra’s position, coming close enough that she can sit down next to her girlfriend. She crosses her legs once she gets seated.  
“As long as you do not mind, of course. I do not want to intrude on your personal experiences.”

Meetra merely smiles at her, taking her hand and squeezes it gently.  
“You can never intrude on anything that has to do with me, Visas. You are always welcome to view anything that’s mine.”  
She then raises the hand and kisses the back of it.

In reaction to it, Visas slides even closer, letting their shoulders meet.  
“Show me.”

Lifting up a small attachment, Meetra puts the small crystal inside a minor central slot and then plugs it all into the projector. She doesn’t need to guide Visas hand, who can already see the energy from it, but once her fingers connect with it, the image seems to swirl with living energy in front of her.  
“You see it?”

As Visas face is turned towards the hologram now, she spots several individuals, but three particular ones appear to be the focus of it. She recognizes all three.  
In the center, there is of course Raekah, or Revan as she was known back then, with the famous mask, hood and robes, standing as a monolithic leader. She seems more like a monument to the idea of resistance, than as a person.  
To her left is a bald man, Malak, before he became the Darth. He smiles confidently, having a closed fist raised to the sky in a sign of victory.  
On her right is, as expected, Meetra. Compared to the other two, she actually has a surprised look on her face, perhaps even a little bit embarrassed. Her eyes are widened, as a togrutan woman with purple skin and white montrals is leaning towards her, kissing her cheek. All around these three are more people, seemingly cheering.

“Yes”, she admits. “It is you with Revan and Malak. I assume this was during the Mandalorian Wars?”

“Heh, yeah. Pretty obvious, I guess?  
This was taken after one of the first victories that I was involved with.”  
She raises her other hand, touching her own chin in thought.  
“I believe it was on…Ivokkat VI? Should be the planet’s name. Can’t remember what the city was called, though. Well, not sure it’s even standing anymore, as it was pulverized by the mandalorians at the time. You can’t see it very well, but we’re pretty much standing on rubble.”

Visas turns to observe the real Meetra instead.  
“I assume that was a pleasant time.”

The smile Meetra offers her is mostly wistful.  
“Yeah, definitely. It was an immensely good feeling to save those people and to know that we could defeat our enemy. When I decided to join the Revanchists, I wasn’t entirely sure of our task and before this moment, the mandalorians looked to me like an endless unstoppable horde. This moment you see here made it clear to me that victory was within sight. We had a long way to go and there were actually some way tougher battles after this, but I didn’t lose hope.”

Certainly a good thing to be reminded of today, when they are on the precipice of one of the most difficult battles in their lives. Even Visas will admit that it’s somewhat encouraging.  
“Who is that woman?”

Meetra blinks confusedly at first, before she gets a better look. That’s when she chuckles.  
“Oh, erm…I dunno, some local lady? I…got a lot of attention after that day.”

It may not be entirely obvious from her features that Visas is skeptical, but Meetra can feel it from their bond.  
“I see.”

Meetra playfully nudges her shoulder into Visas’.  
“Not jealous, are you?”

“Maybe of you. She seems like a pleasant individual. Pretty, too.”

It’s rare that Visas jokes, and even if she says it with a rather monotonous voice, it makes Meetra laugh.  
“I’m sure she was. Can’t actually remember the details, though. That was years ago.”

She clicks a button on the projector, and the hologram shifts into another image with only two individuals. Both are familiar to Visas.  
“That is you and Bao-Dur, is it not?”

They are standing next to each other, holding one arm around their shoulders, while they look at the camera. Bao-Dur stands dressed in some rather loose clothing, only a green tank top and some white baggy pants. He has a smile on his face and Remote floats behind him. Meetra wears a long brown coat with a loose grey shirt underneath and some black pants that look a little bit torn, either well-used or damaged, possibly in battle. Compared to the engineer, she’s grinning.

“Yup, it is. This was taken months before the end, when we still…you know, believed in our efforts, that what we were doing was the right thing.  
Even if I was technically his superior, Bao-Dur and I got along very well and were pretty close friends. Well, as close as two people can get during war, when they’re experiencing hell all around them.”  
Her expression grows more serious as she considers her words.  
“I always think of this moment when I gain doubts about why I was there, if I was wrong in my choices. Everything wasn’t all misery, despite what my mind might tell me.”

She hasn’t spoken all too much of the war with Visas, only the occasional tidbits, especially a short explanation of the horrors on Malachor V. It’s not difficult to understand why, nor will Visas judge her for staying silent about the majority of those events. They have both gone through tough scenarios, times that still give either of them nightmares, and trying to push in order to gain all the knowledge can only end in mental scarring. Visas wants Meetra to look at her and gain happier feelings, not be reminded of the atrocities of the past. 

“Does Bao-Dur know that you have this image?”, asks Visas.

“Yeah, he does. I mean, I’ve told him, not shown. I know he can’t watch it. He gets worse nightmares than I do, so it would only make him sick. Well, about the war, anyway.”

Meetra seems to linger after this, growing distant and is unable to tear her eyes away from the projector. Visas is the one that has to act instead, raising her hand and clicks the same button to get to the next image.  
“Tell me about this one.”

The third image is completely different from the previous two, not just in terms of what it depicts, but what surrounds her. It is Meetra again, standing in some kind of light armor, but it’s very unlikely that this is during the war. In fact, she holds a weapon in her hand, a blaster pistol instead of a lightsaber, which she seems to be posing with.  
Meetra snorts somewhat ambiguously and shrugs.

“This was during my days in the Outer Rim, after I lost my connection to the Force. After all I went through and with the kind of background I had, I knew it wouldn’t really be possible to just settle down. I wasn’t exactly farmer material, so I did what I thought I could do best, and took up bounty hunting.”

Visas only views the image briefly, instead finding it more interesting to study Meetra as she talks.  
“That sounds…unusual.”

“Does it?”

“For you, yes. They do not have the best reputation and while you get along with Mira, I have not considered you to be the same type of person.”

Meetra arches her brow amusedly, as a faint smile returns to her.  
“Perhaps not. I’ll admit that there’s a lot of scumbags in that business, but Mira was one of the better ones, and I’d like to say I was too. I only took official bounties, ones that focused on helping law enforcement capture criminals. Always tried to bring them in alive too. Obviously, I stayed away from hutts, because they’re always trouble. That also included bounties from gangs or any criminal syndicates.”  
She lifts her free hand so that she can correct her hair, pushing a few strands behind her ear.  
“I learned a lot during those days, some which is even useful now as a Jedi. At the time, I kinda just took it for granted, though. It was actually Kreia who helped me realize the value and allowed me to appreciate it.”

Not an entirely surprising notion. Visas did not like Kreia much, but she’s well aware of the old woman’s wisdom and what she did to help Meetra open her mind to other possibilities. A shame that she couldn’t do the same for herself.  
“I see. Well, I will admit that you look quite…dashing.”

If she had been smiling earlier, she now displays a grin instead.  
“Is that so? I still have a few outfits from those years, you know. I can go find them once we get back to Telos IV if you want.”

Visas turns her head so that they face each other.  
“You would pose for me?”

“Any day.”

Certain emotions awaken in the miraluka and she wants to act on them, but chooses to wait. They can perhaps get to it once Meetra is done with this little demonstration. For now, Visas settles for taking her partner’s hand and entwining their fingers.  
“Show me the next picture.”

“Alright, but this is the last one.”

Interestingly enough, this image is not only familiar, but also mirrors their current pose. It depicts Meetra and Visas standing together, holding hands.  
“Well, I…certainly recognize it.”

Once she turns, she notices how Meetra is already looking at her, eyes being filled with feelings of warmth and care.  
“This has quickly become one of my most cherished memories, because of how much you have come to mean for me.”  
Meetra’s voice is somewhat quieter now, as she chooses her words carefully.  
“I was…never sure if there was anything left for me in this part of the galaxy, in the Republic, not until I found the connection between you and me. I was afraid that I was just getting myself into more trouble for the Jedi without purpose, without a different end to that story. And then you came along and changed everything.”

Her words and the emotions now increasingly swirling between them, makes it impossible for Visas to remain unmoved. A faint smile appears on her lips as she squeezes Meetra’s hand.  
“I agree. Without you, I…do not know what would have happened to me either. You returned my belief in that life was worth living.”  
She momentarily glances back at the photo.  
“I have not posed for pictures as much as I have for you.”

That seems to make Meetra particularly happy, at least by the signs from their connection.  
“Really? You always look good on ‘em, so I’m surprised you aren’t in more.”

“I do not enjoy it, except when you ask me to.”

Almost being unable to prevent herself, Meetra leans closer, putting a soft kiss on Visas’ cheek, before nudging her nose against it.  
“And I’d do the same for you.”

The situation is getting a little softer now, and they both get an inclination of what’s likely about to happen, but Visas tries to resist it, at least a little bit. There are more questions on her mind.  
“Meetra, I have to ask, why are you doing this? Why are you viewing these pictures today?”

The solemn wind returns to them, and while Visas feels guilty when Meetra’s expression falls, she needs an answer. The human sighs as she shakes her head.  
“Because…I can’t ignore what’s going to happen. I feel like that would not be fair to any of us.  
It’s gonna be rough out there when the battle starts, no matter how it ends, and I don’t want to forget why I’m here, why I’m doing this.”  
She decides to concentrate on the image, of standing there with Visas and the joy she felt that day, like many other days at her girlfriend’s side.  
“There have been many things in my life that has fostered doubt, that made me unsure if what I’m doing is the right thing. Viewing memories of the past, of when I had the same questions in my mind, helps alleviate some of them.”

“Did you…do the same thing prior to Malachor V?”

Silence proceeds this question for an uncomfortable number of seconds, until Meetra finally dares to answer.  
“…yeah.”

Pain enters her mind, reminders of loss, sorrow and regret, but it doesn’t escape her that she senses just as much hesitation from Visas. A few seconds later, her attention is on Visas as the other woman pushes closer to her. When the miraluka speaks next, it is only barely above a whisper.  
“Do you remember what I said before we faced Darth Nihilus?” 

Echoes of the corrupted and devoured Sith flies past Meetra’s memories, and while she would like to deny it, there is no chance for her to ever lie in this regard.  
“Of course, I do. How could I ever forget?”

Visas grabs the projector, gently taking it from Meetra’s grasp and puts it down on the floor. After she is done, she lifts the hand back up and places it on her partner’s cheek, letting them face each other.  
“Then I will echo those words here; please, I beg you, stay here with me. Don’t go. Don’t do this.”

Her words are laced with a surprising amount of worry and affection. It’s not that Visas doesn’t ever display emotions, but her voice is usually so calm and collected, professional and decisive. She doesn’t allow herself to be vulnerable, not on most days. However, this occasion is obviously different and Meetra is reminded of how much Visas really cares. It makes the leader of the Jedi hesitate before she can fully respond.

“Visas…I can’t. You know I can’t. We have to face this battle and the Emperor.”

The other Jedi sighs shakily, leaning her head down onto Meetra’s shoulder.  
“I know, but I wish it didn’t have to be true. It’s hard to accept.  
We have already faced so many dangers together, and for a time, I was relieved, as I was sure it would be over. I thought the stories of the True Sith were wrong, only a myth or another lie from Kreia. And yet, here we are, in more danger than we’ve ever been. It’s like a nightmare come true.”

“Visas…”

She doesn’t know what would be best to say here, what could actually be helpful, but it doesn’t matter. Visas continues, this time while looking at her, allowing Meetra to observe her veil.  
“I can’t lose you. I don’t think I could ever endure that event. It’s too much.”

Using the hand that was freed when the projector was taken from her, Meetra caresses Visas’ cheek.  
“I’m not going anywhere.”

Visas turns her head away.  
“You cannot promise that. Neither of us can.  
You mean everything to me, Meetra. I know I have struggled to make the Jedi better, to strengthen our position and our future, but it is all for you. You are my entire world and existence. Without you, nothing is worth it.  
I am yours. I would die for you, just like I have always insisted. And without you…”

She doesn’t finish the sentence, probably for both of their sakes. Meetra moves her hand to Visas’ chin, turning her back into the same position as before.  
“Visas, please, you can’t lose hope now. I haven’t, and you shouldn’t either. I’m not out here fighting these bastards to die, nor to sacrifice myself. I do this because I want to believe in a future together.  
I’m not sure if you doubt it, but I still want to marry you, to see you become Grand Master, to help the Order grow, to…have kids with you someday. All those things are ones I still dream about, and while I dream, I will not surrender. But to make it a reality, we have to stop the Republic from being annihilated.”

Those words fill Visas with an equal measure of hope and fear. She can’t be swallowed by either, but both keep terrorizing her, increasing her doubt.  
“I know”, she admits with a sigh. “I am simply terrified of what will happen, and how nothing is certain.”

“Yeah, but that’s always the case, right? You have to know this already, but you can’t let it be all you think about. I still have to go out there when the battle starts, and give everything I have to save us against the Emperor’s horrors. I will only succeed if you believe in me.”

They are looking at each other now, their mouths so close that they can feel their breaths upon their skins. Visas takes the last step and nudges their noses together in a gentle brush.  
“I do. I always do, no matter what. You are the only person that I will ever trust unconditionally.”

Meetra changes the location of her hands, placing one on Visas’ back, the other behind her head, and pulls her in. They end up in a kiss, so fiercely that they feel their bodies vibrating, shaking any other thoughts out of their minds. She shifts position, laying down on the floor, allowing Visas to lean over her, as she envelops the miraluka’s waist with her legs. For the rest of the night, they let their bodies and the Force speak for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I always find it difficult to write these two, because this pairing is one of my favorites in any Star Wars media. It's hard, but I still want to do it._
> 
> _The miraluka reading crystal or...whatever you wanna call it, is something I've used before in my SWTOR fics. Can't recall if I've used it here._   
>  _To me, miraluka who only see through the Force should be blind to like, digital images, as these things do not have the living Force in them. The miraluka may perceive the contours of physical items around them, but cannot (or should not) actually see the details. Hence why miralukan technology (in my ficverse) incorporate adegan crystals, or other ones which have the Force in them._
> 
> _Anyway, Bastila/Raekah next week. GREAT CHOICE, CLAIRE. ANOTHER DIFFICULT PAIRING DURING A DIFFICULT TIME_


	45. What we believe

The battle of the ages is closing in. Bastila can feel it. There have been no direct reports, no palpable signs, but she needs no one else’s words to know such things. Battle used to be part of who she was, what she knew, partially thanks to her abilities, which has given her a way to sense when destruction is on the way. She doesn’t want her instincts to be correct, of course, because she’d rather see that the Emperor stays as far away as possible and hides in whatever hole he appeared from, but that’s not going to happen. 

She’s currently wandering through the ship that she and Raekah have been using for quite some time now, since the day they left Halcyon together, in search of answers. In her hand, she holds a datapad of some kind, watching it carefully as the information it displays gives her ambivalent sentiments. Her eyes are somewhat distant, as troubling emotions flow through them and she tries to ignore her surroundings.  
She kind of wishes that Vaner was here now, but she couldn’t bring her son into a battlefield. She decided that it was best to leave him with some acquaintances that they’ve made through the years, at least for the time being. If she doesn’t come back after this battle, well…perhaps it’s preferable not to consider such thoughts.

After a short time, her pondering is interrupted by some noises coming from one of the nearby doors in this corridor. It sounds like…music? Not exactly what she had expected to hear in the ship. Raekah has never really been into playing that at any particularly loud volume.  
She walks through the doorway and lowers her datapad, somewhat hiding it, while she looks around the room. It’s dark in here, except for a few minor button lights somewhere on the other side, not enough to distinguish what’s going on. The music playing is quite a smooth tune, not too quick and yet not excessively slow either. In any case, she doesn’t really recognize it.

“Raekah?”, she asks. No answer is given. Well, not to her anyway. She hears some kind of whispering on the other side of the room, and then a few beeping noises from a droid.  
“…hello? What’s going on in here? T3, is that you?”

T3-M4 responds with some beeps, but is shushed by Raekah.  
“C’mon, T3, get it going.”

Bastila folds her arms and arches her brow. What is Raekah doing this time? Better not be some kind of new secret idea or potentially dangerous machine. This is not the place for such behavior. Then again, Raekah wouldn’t be working on something like that in the dark with music on.  
“Raekah, what are you doing?”

“Just hold on a second, okay? We’ve almost got it.”

She sighs and decides to wait. Whatever her wife is doing, it seems important to a certain degree.  
Eventually, Bastila is rather surprised as lights erupt in the room and Raekah steps aside, allowing the droid to be fully visible. That’s when the room receives a beautiful holographic view, emitted by T3, like the whole area fills up with stars, planets, nebulas and more. Not exactly disco lights, but it’s certainly pretty.  
For Bastila, it’s quite a curious sight, as they are technically already in space, but except for all the things that this hologram offers, it also slowly spins around, increasing the serene mood. With the music playing at the same time, it’s quite a comfortable experience, surprisingly so for this occasion, seeing as how they’re going into a dangerous mission soon enough.

Once Raekah steps out from the darkness and into the middle of the holograms, Bastila can see how her wife is wearing a slightly fancier set of red and gold robes, more ceremonial, with more decorative patterns. She hasn’t seen Raekah wearing something like that since their wedding.  
“You know what this band is?”, Raekah asks, with a smile on her lips.

Bastila takes a second to consider it, before she shrugs.  
“You know I don’t.”

“They’re called ‘Entwined Grasp’, apparently.”

“…apparently?”

Raekah smiles some more and shakes her head.  
“Alright, I admit it, I’m not exactly a fan or anything.”

Bastila watches her with a confused gaze and arches her brow.  
“If that’s the case, then why are you playing their song?”

“Well, I spoke to Atton and Mira earlier. They said that these guys are pretty popular right now in certain places. Not the top clubs of Nar Shaddaa, but other establishments that offer dancing floors, without requiring too much effort. I’m not fond of dancing either, but I can see what they mean. I’m sure it’s appealing for others.”

That makes Bastila laugh.  
“I should’ve known. You’ve never had a great interest in music.”

“Not true! I listen to…some things. You know, when I work.”

“Not often.”

“I do! But never loud enough for you to overhear it, of course.”

When she stops in front of her wife, Raekah offers her hand. Bastila watches it with interest, not accepting it just yet.  
“What’s all this about, Rae?”

Raekah turns her eyes downwards and shrugs.  
“Well, you know, I realize that we rarely get a chance to do this kind of thing. Neither of us are very outgoing people, but even then, we've been so busy in the past few years. This seemed like a good opportunity for a change, what with the galaxy as we know it possibly being over soon. The best time to dance should be at the end of existence, right?”

Kind of dismal and while Bastila looks skeptical, she lowers her datapad onto a table nearby and then lets Raekah invite her. As their hands connect, she guides Bastila towards the middle of this area, with only T3 standing there to watch over them.  
“Hmm. I know that’s your reason, but is this a special day of some kind? I can’t think of anything. It’s certainly not our anniversary.” 

A small smile plays on Raekah’s lips as well and she soon starts a slow and casual dance, which Bastila lets her lead.  
“You’re correct, sort of. It’s true that it’s technically not connected to our wedding, but it’s another kind of anniversary.”  
She observes Bastila, seeing how she arches her brow confusedly, before Raekah decides to explain.  
“Today is the day when we first met on Taris. I know that’s not our first meeting overall, but it’s when our lives probably changed forever.”

Bastila widens her eyes, realizing that it’s probably true. Images from that day, as unfortunate as it may have been, flashes through her head and her expression becomes somewhat wistful.  
“Oh yeah, you’re right…” She emits a soft laughter. “I can’t believe that you remembered the date for that occasion.”

“Well, for me, it’s kinda hard to forget. I’ve done all I can to remember these things, after my memory was already wiped once. That said, the day itself was very special.  
So much happened on Taris, and so much more could’ve gone completely wrong. I’m pretty glad we managed to succeed, though, and I’m still proud I could save you back there.”

At first, Bastila merely nods, before she suddenly stops and tilts her head skeptically.  
“Hold on a moment. Saved me? Now that feels like a bit of historical revisionism. I think you’re misremembering those events, dear.”

And here they go again. It has been quite a while since they argued about what occurred during that chaos.  
Raekah smirks, not stopping their dance just yet.  
“What do you mean? You don’t remember what happened that day? I suppose it could’ve been a bit too much for you to recall, since you were trapped behind that cage for so long.”

Bastila rolls her eyes.  
“Oh, don’t give me that nonsense! You know as well as I do, that I opened that cage myself!”

“Maybe, but you wouldn’t have had the chance if I wasn’t there.” 

“There’s no proof of such a claim at all! You’re just making wild and completely unfair assumptions.”

“That’s right, because there’s only _hard evidence_ that I saved you.”

Bastila narrows her eyes now, but a small smirk is visible on her lips.  
“There’s nothing hard about it! You’re just trying to make your own actions seem more important, while they clearly weren’t that heroic.”

It looks like Raekah tries to shrug casually, but appears more overconfident.  
“It’s okay, I don’t need to be heroic. I’m just a very humble Jedi liberator.” 

“You know I’m going to make you pay for that, don’t you?”

Raekah soon can’t help herself as she starts to laugh, and Bastila will admit that it’s fairly humorous.  
“Somehow, this kinda feels like déjà vu.”

The expression on Bastila calms into a pleasant smile instead and she nods, giving in.  
“I suppose you’re right. Perhaps we haven’t grown past it as much as we may have expected.”

“Probably because you won’t admit the truth yet.”

“And I _never_ will.”

Trying to create some kind of peace between them, Raekah leans down and puts a soft kiss on Bastila’s forehead.  
“Even so, you have to agree that we have mellowed over time, right?”

Bastila seems to enjoy the sensation, closing her eyes for a moment.  
“Of course. Our journeys back then were quite…transformative for me. I grew so much during such a relatively short time. I managed to realize what life was about and what I truly wanted to do with it. If you weren’t there, that would never have happened.”

“And if you weren’t there, I probably would’ve never found out who I was, or what I was meant to do.” 

To some extent, that’s true, but if Bastila had not been there, Raekah might’ve never forgotten who she was either. If Bastila should say this out loud, though, her wife would scold her for taking the blame. It’s the Jedi’s fault, apparently, and the Emperor’s, for changing her to begin with.  
“And I’m glad you did.”

“If you were given the chance to live through all of those events again, would you have done anything different?”

Bastila looks distant for a moment, trying to consider the journey and the consequences.  
“No, I don’t think so. My choices would’ve likely stayed the same.  
Well…maybe I would have tried to break that cage earlier, to wipe that smug look off your face. And I would’ve probably struggled harder against Malak’s influence, to stop him from controlling me.”

Raekah remembers that day, how difficult that particular event was for both of them. She can recall how fearful she was, how she thought she might’ve lost Bastila forever.  
“I’m actually glad you didn’t.”

An interesting, althrough strange, concept, which makes Bastila blink in surprise.  
“Wait, you are?”

“Yeah, of course. If you hadn’t ended up in that seat, there would’ve been no way for me to convince you to come back to our side and fight with us. Maybe you would’ve believed you didn’t need our bond any more and gone back to the Jedi.”

From that perspective, it’s quite a reasonable fear, but Bastila merely snorts.  
“I don’t think so. If I know myself, I would have assumed that it was our bond which made me strong enough to resist. I don’t believe anything could’ve stopped our union.”

Raekah raises an eyebrow with interest.  
“Oh? Sounds like you believe destiny played a part in this.”

“Why not? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we met, at least. And what does it matter? That we found each other at all is the important result in all this.” 

Seeing no reason to protest this notion, Raekah smiles and nods.  
“You’re right, of course. If destiny led us to that swoop bike race too, then I’m fine with it. I still remember that contest quite fondly, even with all the horrors of Taris’ end.”

Bastila seems a bit skeptical.  
“Why? How could you have enjoyed that? Not only was the race itself very dangerous, there were Sith troops everywhere, violent gangs, chaos, constant uncertainty and fear.”

“Heh, well, sure, those were some crazy times, I won’t dispute that, but there were also a lot of positive aspects, right?”  
She lifts the hand away from Bastila’s waist and instead uses it to caress her wife’s cheek.  
“I met the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, who eventually agreed to marry me.  
Erm…even though she initially wanted to punch me straight in the face.”

Bastila widens her eyes again, before she erupts in surprised laughter.  
“Wait, what? That’s ridiculous! I never said I wanted to punch you!”

“No? Not even a little bit?”

“Certainly not! I was a Jedi, and I had responsibilities and principles to live up to.”

Raekah tilts her head curiously.  
“How does that matter?”

“My strict training and discipline would have prevented me from using violence on you.”

Raekah snorts amusedly.  
“Bastila, I wasn’t talking about whether you would, just that you definitely wanted to.” 

Technically, she does have a point. Neither of them probably believes she’d actually do it.  
“Alright, maybe there is some truth to it. Just a little bit.  
Although, I still disagree with the punching part. I didn’t want to do that to you, just…gently grind your face into the dirt for a few minutes, until you agreed that you definitely didn’t save anyone.” 

She gets Raekah laughing this time, before the taller woman leans over to kiss Bastila’s cheek.  
“Now that’s the ass-kicking Jedi I fell in love with and married.”

Shortly after, Bastila leans her head against Raekah’s shoulder, as they choose to dance quietly for a little while. In the meantime, T3 makes sure that they have appropriate music to enjoy, while this occurs. It’s also Bastila who eventually breaks the silence, albeit through a whisper.  
“You know, this was quite a lovely thing to do, despite what we’re about to face.”

Raekah nods and tilts her nose down against Bastila’s hair.  
“I agree. I know we have some pretty grim things to look forward to soon enough, but I wanted us to have some fun first. If you have to face death, you shouldn’t do so with fear in your heart.”  
However, despite making this statement, she can’t deny her inner doubt.  
“Bastila.”

Her wife is still resting her head on the shoulder, eyes closed while enjoying the rather soothing experience they’re having.  
“Hmm?” 

“Do you ever regret certain decisions we made?”

“Like what?”

“Like…leaving the others behind.”

And just as they were having such a good time. Seems Raekah can’t let it stay like that, while her faults linger in her mind.  
Bastila corrects herself, allowing them to look at each other again.  
“Now that’s a strange question. Why would you ask that?”

Raekah sighs, eyes diverted elsewhere.  
“I’ve just been thinking about it lately. Earlier, I…tried to craft a message for Mission and Zaalbar, but I couldn’t think of what I wanted to say.  
I wanted to explain everything, but realized that wouldn’t work. Then I tried to say something comforting, to let them know we’re still out here and we’re thinking about them, but I didn’t actually know how I could do that without sounding kinda awkward.”  
She closes her eyes.  
“I miss those two, and Carth, our friends. Our whole group from those days are the only real family I’ve ever known, outside of Alek.”

Bastila won’t disagree with that sentiment. From Mission acting as their little sister to Jolee being like some kind of grandfather, it was certainly a tight and pleasant team. Well, they fought all the time, but isn’t that what families do? But there’s still something missing as well.  
“And Meetra?”

She can spot notions of hesitation on Raekah’s expression.  
“…I don’t really know if she ever saw me as that. Not sure I was good enough to her.”

“Nonsense, Rae! You know she loves you. She looks up to you like a sister. You have always meant a lot to her, I’m sure of it. Don’t try to deny it now.”

It seems she sort of would want to do it anyhow, as it was only the war that brought them together, but realizes that it would be kinda foolish. It’s difficult to ignore what those years meant for all of those involved. Instead, Raekah offers a small smile.  
“Okay, maybe that’s true, but I’d still want the others back at some point.”

“Well, you are the one who asked us not to invite everyone.”

“Yeah, I know that, but I meant in the future. When this nightmarish scenario is over, I don’t want us to stay away from them anymore. I want us to be a family again, to be together with the whole group, even Meetra’s new gang.  
Vaner should have the privilege of growing up close to all of them, to know them as his family as well.”

Bastila seems equally pleased by that thought.  
“I won’t reject it, if that’s what you want. It would be nice to live together once more, or at least visit each other quite often. It would be like the type of family neither of us really had.”

“Exactly.”  
She sighs and then looks into Bastila’s eyes once more.  
“After the battle is over, let’s contact them. Perhaps we can get some kind of reunion going with everyone involved.”

Bastila’s smile widens and she nods eagerly.  
“I think that sounds like a lovely idea. I believe the rest will be quite delighted if you’re the one to put it together as well.”

“Heh, I’ll try my best not to sound too awkward.”

Both of them now close their eyes, as they lean forward, connecting their bodies even further through a lengthy and endearing kiss, letting the music take them away to a state of mind where serenity rules over them.

Somewhere in the background, being forgotten by those inside, the screen of the datapad is still on, showing the text on top. There’s a lot of information on display, some which are of much less interest than the important section at the very center.  
_Pregnancy evaluation process: Complete. Status: Positive._  
A few seconds later, the screen goes into standby mode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, I had kinda planned that thing for a little while. I have some ideas for like, a post-VOD fic that features this kid. Haven't yet decided if I'm gonna write it or not, though. We'll see._   
>  _At any rate, there's now gonna be two Shan kids, BECAUSE I SAY SO_


	46. Uncovered dawn

_The echoes across the spacious halls, the dim lighting, the cold air flowing through the ancient stone, the deep unease he feels with every step…_  
_He has been here before. In fact, he might even claim that he’s a little bit too familiar with this place by now. Being familiar with it does not necessarily make him more comfortable with the old and cursed temple, though. If he ever does, he might actually have to ask someone to hurt him, just to make sure he’s still himself._

_However, he quickly comes to realize that something is different this time. As he glances around the immediate area, he sees that he is not alone, nor has he arrived with friendly intentions. There’s a team of people, fairly efficient, all of them tearing down the many guards, Sith and servants trying to stop them. It feels surprisingly good, like he’s part of something important, giving him purpose and the longing sensation of an inevitable end. Where does that originate from? How is this even possible?_

_Nothing can stop their ascent through the corridors, not even the Imperial Guard, who try their very best to fight them. Even if he would prefer to pretend that he is the cause of this action, he realizes that the individual at the front is what drives them all forward, who takes the most risk and causes the most damage. Who is she? What is she doing here? And why does he feel so very drawn to her, unlike anyone he has ever met?_

_Finally, they reach the door that will lead them to their goal, but he does not know why he is so sure of this; it just exists. They break down the entrance with a combination of brute force and ingenuity, getting to their prize – the throne room. He can’t remember when he was last here, and yet it feels so good to enter without an overwhelming fear and underlying despair. He suspects it’s the woman that they all have to thank for this sensation._

_Upon the throne sits their adversary, the leader of this voided pit. The Emperor merely waits for them on his seat, wearing his dark robes as always, seeming quite amused by their appearance. Not that this was an unexpected element, as this man is always so confident, so undeterred by all the mortal worms that scurry under his overwhelming grasp._  
_“I have been waiting for you”, the Emperor says, his voice echoing through the room, out through the remainder of the temple._  
_“It seemed inevitable that you would come here, for many reasons.” He shakes his head. “You Jedi and your unrelenting hunt for perceived justice and the arrogant need to always be right, would always lead you here. I would feel pity for you, if you were not so unmistakably irritating.”_

 _The woman in charge merely snorts at their foe and grasps her two weapons, a dual set of lightsabers, even harder._  
_“You talk too much, Vitiate. If you focused on fighting us, maybe it wouldn’t have been so easy to destroy your defenses.”_

 _From his position somewhere in the back, the Sith tries to get a good view of her, but he is given no range. His body won’t move from its position, as if he is no more than an observer._  
_On the other side, he sees how Vitiate stands up from the large chair._  
_“It didn’t have to be like this. Had you merely embraced my power much earlier, accepted my offer of eternity, we could have stood side by side. Just imagine the possibilities.”_

 _She shakes her head dismissively._  
_“Forget it. I will never be your slave. I am not like the others.”_

 _Vitiate snorts amusedly._  
_“Well, on that front, you are certainly correct, but that does not necessarily warrant such an abundance of confidence. Do not be so self-assured of your victory just yet, Jedi.”_

 _They feel how the very air around them starts to vibrate, as the Emperor’s immense power is emitted, making some of them shiver from simply standing near it. The woman holds her arms out further and ignites her blades, glistening in blue and green colors._  
_“That doesn’t matter. I have to defeat you here, whether I believe it or not. If I don’t try, then no one will succeed, and I’m not gonna allow you to destroy the galaxy.”_

_“Destruction is not needed.” He reaches out with one hand towards her. “Come, join me and we shall discard destruction and instead attempt the transformation that our reality deserves.”_

_The leader turns away from him, choosing to instead look at her comrades. The Sith doesn’t outwardly widen his eyes, but the part of him that currently observes these events looks at her in surprise. He is stunned by the strength and beauty in front of him, something that catches him so swiftly that he becomes breathless. He is in the company of this person? Is he even worthy to be?_  
_“Let’s end this”, she says._

 _Before any of them has a chance to retort, she rushes ahead, getting her blades ready and then utilizes the Force to leap over the stairs. Somehow, the Sith manages to get ahold of his body and he reaches out after her, but it’s too late. Her twin weapons are raised towards the Emperor, giving him no chance to defend. His body is cleaved in half, and only seconds after it occurs, he explodes, sending out a shockwave like an igniting star._  


* * *

  
Scourge gasps as he awakens, breathing in sharply, as if he was holding it this entire time. His eyes glances around erratically, drifting between what he just saw and the reality he finds himself in.  
While he tries to comprehend the truth of the matter and whether he should go for his weapon, he quickly comes to realize that such actions would be foolish. He is not in the Dark Temple anymore, nor is he surrounded by Imperial Guards, but actually lying on his bed in the ship he flew with from Dromund Kaas.

With his heart beating so quickly and his whole body warm out of some kind of excitement from feigned battle, Scourge runs a hand over his head, trying to process what he experienced. That was no dream, was it? Everything was so real, so strong, too much to simply be an imagination. Was this fear for the coming battle, for the death and destruction that he and his comrades may have to face soon…or something more? He needs to find out.

After rushing up from bed and getting his clothes on, he immediately leaves his ship, to instead board the one which he is currently docked with, hoping to meet with a particular person.  
After asking one of the droids, he finds who he was searching for inside the kitchen of the other vessel. Raekah is standing there with her arms wrapped around Bastila, kissing her wife tenderly. It seems they’re at least enjoying a fairly peaceful morning.

He has to get through a little bit of awkwardness before he clears his throat to get their attention.  
“Raekah.”

Both of the former Jedi blinks and turns in his direction, somewhat surprised.  
“Oh, Scourge. Good morning”, says Raekah, but her brow soon furrows slightly. “What is it? You don’t look well.”

“I woke up just a few minutes ago. I…would like to speak with you about something.”

“Okay, uh, is it important?”

“I believe so.”

Raekah stands quietly and views his red eyes, searching for the truth within them. She doesn’t need to watch them for long before she realizes that something is amiss.  
“I see. Alright then, I’ll be there shortly.”  
She turns gaze eyes towards Bastila and connects their lips once more, this time somewhat briefer.  
“I’ll go see what he wants. Should be back soon.”

Bastila snorts with some underlying amusement.  
“Leaving me to prepare breakfast, huh?”

“Don’t worry, it won’t be long.”

“Better not be. You know it’s not my specialty.”

Raekah caresses her wife’s cheek before she departs, following Scourge into a private section of this ship, a room where they should remain undisturbed.  
When they’re alone, Raekah folds her arms and waits, but Scourge is somewhat hesitant at first, starting out by pacing around the room.  
“I…had a dream last night, one that ended very recently.”

Not the most worrying statement ever, which is why Raekah merely arches her brow skeptically.  
“O…kay. That’s not unusual, as far as I know. Most humanoids dream.”

He sighs with irritation.  
“Yes, yes, I am aware of that, but this was more than a simple dream. It was much stronger, more palpable.  
I have certainly had fierce dreams and nightmares previously, but this was nothing like that. It was as if I was actually there, in the very same room. I could feel the air, every step taken, smell the dust surrounding the floor.”

Raekah observes him with interest, raising a hand to scratch her chin thoughtfully.  
“Hmm, that’s curious. What you describe sounds quite a bit like a vision.”

It actually seems to satisfy him that she comes to this conclusion and he nods eagerly.  
“Yes, that’s the sensation I received as well. It reminded me a lot of the one I had of you and Meetra.”

“Well, I’m obviously interested. Do you remember the events of it?”

“Vividly.”

“Then let’s hear it.”

Scourge takes a step back, folding his arms and leans against a nearby wall. His eyes are turned down towards the floor, quickly becoming distant.  
“I was running through the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas, the Emperor’s lair on the capital, together with some kind of team that I have never seen before. We were cutting our way through the area, winning against all opposition it could provide us with. Eventually, we arrived at the throne room.”  
He stops momentarily, and this gives Raekah an opportunity to reminisce as well, thinking back to the days when she and Alek entered that place themselves. She wouldn’t mind if the details of that memory were lost to her, but life isn’t that simple, it seems.  
“On the inside, we faced off with the Emperor and apparently destroyed him or defeated him in some other way. I’m not sure, as he sort of just erupted into light at the time. It was a dream, though, which means it’s very possible that what I saw were not the exact events.”

Once he’s finally done, Raekah sighs and raises her hands, closing her eyes to concentrate.  
“Hold on, that’s…a lot of things to process. First of all, you were with a team of people. Imperials?”

Scourge barely seems to need any time to ponder the question.  
“No.”

“But not us?”

“Correct.”

She looks at him again, trying to read his expression, but Scourge seems just as unsure about what he told her as well.  
“Did you recognize any of them from any point of your life?”

Scourge only offers her a brief shake of his head.  
“I do not. However, Vitiate did address the leader as a Jedi, though.”

Raekah widens her eyes, so that got her attention.  
“A Jedi? Not any of those with Meetra right now?”

“No, this woman was not a current member of the Order.”

“Can you…describe her? And the team overall.”

Letting himself take a deep breath, Scourge’s eyes shifts away again, returning to the memory of the vision.  
“There were six people. I was one of them, of course, along with two humans – a man and a somewhat younger woman – an astromech droid similar to T3 but not the same, an alien that I believe to be a chagrian based on my knowledge of imperial slaves, and the Jedi.”  
He stops, running a hand up to his chin to caress his facial spurs.  
“I’m not sure what she was. I believe she was an alien, but not one I’ve ever witnessed before. She had dark blue skin, dark blue-black hair, and sharp red iris-less eyes, which seemed to glow somewhat.”

As she has spent more time in other sections of the galaxy, Raekah tries to search her own internal databank for answers, but finds none.  
“Huh. That’s strange, I can’t seem to remember meeting anyone like that either. Blue skin, sure, but red iris-less eyes…that sounds very specific.”

“I agree. She was quite…exquisite.”

He still looks kinda lost in thought, and Raekah arches her brow amusedly, wondering what might be on his mind now.  
“Are you saying she was very attractive, Scourge?”

That seems to catch him off-guard and he quickly swirls his eyes back to hers, frowns and scoffs.  
“It…it doesn’t matter! She was the one in charge of our strike team, the one who challenged and eventually defeated the Emperor.”

While continuing to tease him would be fun, Raekah feels herself caught in the seriousness of the moment as well.  
“That seems kinda crazy, though. A woman we have never met coming out of nowhere to fight and kill Vitiate? I mean, that’s just…”

It can’t be denied that she wants to doubt it, to dismiss a notion like that, but she quickly questions herself whether that is out of disbelief or fear. If she is not the one to do it, what does that mean?  
Scourge seems to contemplate the same thing, as he nods.  
“It is a lot to absorb.”

Raekah pushes herself away from the wall, starting to pace slowly around the floor.  
“Okay, let’s think about this for a moment. First of all, this could be a metaphor, right? If it was a vision that you just received, then we should both know by now that the Force never speaks to us directly.”

“That is true, and it’s possible, yes. My own first vision was very dubious, and it clearly never told me about the events I have endured since I met you.  
However, also remember that I saw the two of you perfectly. It was not a metaphor and your appearances were very clear to me. It’s why I could identify you so quickly.”

Raekah opens her mouth to retort, but stops shortly after, when she doesn’t have an immediately good response.  
“…yeah, fine, you have a point, but our circumstances were different. That vision was related to something happening recently, in the current era. Whatever you saw last night could’ve been related to something in the distant past…or the future, if it’s actually true.”

“I was there, though.”

“Were you? Did you see your own image? Could’ve been through the eyes of another, right?”

He hesitates, but not for long.  
“…I suppose so.”

“Exactly, so we can’t be entirely certain of it. And we also have to consider the possibility that Vitiate influenced you as well. He could be trying to scare you.”

“Well, I have certainly had enough contact with him, so I won’t disregard the potential, but why? Why would he show me a kind of vision where he dies?”

Raekah can’t deny that she’s trying to ignore whatever this is, that it is not her or anyone else’s reality. But what if it is? Is she opposing this foolishly?  
“I can think of several reasons, one of the foremost being to give you hope for another future, so that you will abandon our current plan.”

“Perhaps, but that is not his style. He tends to go for more insidious means or twist the minds of those around him. He has done it with many others. Merely targeting my dreams seem meek, somehow. If he wanted me to turn against you or something similar, he could’ve planted ideas of betrayal directly into me, like he did with you.”

Not necessarily entirely accurate, but not completely false either, and it’s this uncertainty that makes Raekah uncomfortable.  
“Yeah, I know, but…”  
She emits another sigh, feeling herself getting tired, her body wanting to give in. Can she not allow herself to at least entertain the option?  
“Okay”, she says and raises her hand, “let’s say for a moment that we consider the third alternative, and we all believe that you saw a vision of the future, a future where none of the current Jedi are involved in Vitiate’s demise or whatever that was. What does that mean? If it is true, then…”

Scourge searches her expression, not really having to use the Force to share in her emotions. He feels them too.  
“…then our team will fail.”

“Well, not necessarily fail, but we won’t kill Vitiate. Not that anyone actually believed that we would accomplished such a task anyway.  
Although, there is still a chance that we manage to succeed with the containment or to weaken him somehow. That would give the Jedi of the future an opportunity, right?”

“I agree”, Scourge says with a sigh, “even if it is disheartening. I would have preferred to see him dead as soon as he arrives, but I suppose that is not a possibility. But what does my vision mean for me? If I was in my own body at the time, does that mean I will continue to fight the Emperor?”

Raekah shrugs.  
“I guess so? Kinda sounds like you at least survive to fight another day, to help bring down the Emperor for good. You did come all the way to us before, didn’t you? Someone obviously realized how dedicated you are, whomever this woman is.  
I mean, if it’s really you in that last fight, then that could mean that you join the Jedi.”

Scourge scowls and snorts.  
“Or, that I stay among the Sith for another several generations.”  
It’s not that he would completely disregard a future with the Jedi, if it would actually make him happy, but he doesn’t want people to assume too much about him.  
Shortly after, he exhales heavily.  
“But more importantly, it would mean that I remain with the Emperor. Quite a harrowing notion.”

It seems to Raekah that they have come to the same conclusion and she chooses to walk up to him, placing a hand on his arm.  
“Look, I don’t want to suggest it, and I also don’t want to force you into anything, but if the Emperor survives the fight, then perhaps we could use an agent at his side, someone to watch over and discourage any foolish actions, to make him remember what we did.”

The Sith turns his eyes to hers, looking deeply into the blue shades that seem more pleading than he’s used to. He will not deny the wish to destroy the Emperor now, to insist that they must be rid of him forever, but perhaps that was merely a naïve dream.  
“It is quite a sacrifice…”

“Yeah, one that few can make. I’m not sure anyone could survive it for long.”

Scourge shuts his eyes and sighs.  
“I understand, and I’m ready to try. If it means the Emperor will die eventually and my people will be free, I will do anything.”

Despite the rather gloomy subject, and the death they may all have to face soon, Raekah smiles and squeezes his arm.  
“Thank you. You are a brave man, Scourge.”

“Brave or foolish?  
The only problem is how to make it happen. I am meant to fight him soon, after all. I can’t just ignore my duty to all of you.”

Raekah takes a step back, crosses her arms and nods.  
“You’re right, of course, and I honestly don’t have an answer yet, but I don’t think we need to rush it. Let’s wait and see what happens, allow the Force to guide us.  
Since Vitiate thinks he knows that you’re trying to infiltrate us, he won’t be surprised by your appearance. Whatever happens, we must somehow get you onto his dreadnought before the end of the battle. I’m not the best pilot, but if I fly the ship, I’ll do everything in my power to get you there.”

To infiltrate the Emperor’s dreadnought and somehow trick him into turning back – is that even possible? Scourge tries to collect himself, to find strength in his confidence and draw power from the fear.  
“Let’s hope it works.”

Raekah tilts her head curiously, searching Scourge’s expression.  
“Are you ready for what needs to be done?”

“I may not like it, but I will be.”

“Good. Then that’s-“  
She stops when she hears a noise coming from some kind of device and she raises her arm, seeing that it’s her comm unit. She pushes the button to respond.  
“Yes?”

“Raekah? It’s Canderous.  
Some of our ships have picked up something on the long-range scanners. Looks like hyperspace signals coming into this system. Don’t think it could be any other ones than our guests.”

Raekah furrows her brow and clenches her fist, meeting Scourge’s gaze for one last moment.  
“It’s time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _So yeah, this chapter was kinda meant to tie my SWTOR and KOTOR realities together, because I wanted that connection. This is the Talonverse, so, it's my version of the events._
> 
> _Next week's chapter, based on what I've already prepared for it, will be quite long. Like, longer than usual, but I hope to have it posted on time anyway. If it's not, DON'T HATE ME_   
>  _The overall fight will be divided into two parts, which I have chosen to call "Meetra's fight" and "Raekah's fight" (those won't be the chapter titles). Those two chapters won't necessarily focus on only two people, but their sections will be quite critical for the battle._


	47. General

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Ugh_

They say that space is silent, that sound does not travel through the vacuum of the vast darkness in between stars and planets, and while this may certainly be true, it does not stop or improve the devastating sensations that a battle evokes in such an environment. Perhaps it is due to the fact that those within the ships can still hear the noise when their cannons fire or the vessel they’re in receives a hit. Or maybe it’s the knowledge of what will occur when their hull breaks and they are released into that airless cold dark out there.

Funnily enough, Canderous never considered this notion during the war against the Jedi and the Republic, when he used his war droid to leap through the atmospheres of planets they were about to terrorize and potentially destroy. At that time, he was a warrior, another mandalorian ready to give his life for glory and the satisfaction of victory. It might be that his attitude on death in the reality of battle has altered with his aging perception, now that he’s a leader. No longer does only a few members of his people depend upon him, but everyone, at least in this battle.

The only words he can really think of when his ship, the mandalorian battlecruiser ‘Kandosii’, gets hit is ‘please, hold together. Don’t fail me now’. Did he ever think such things back then, during the wars? He can’t recall that fear, despite being very close to death several times. As the ship shakes and he see how the rest of the bridge crew tries to hold on, he figures they must be the reason, because he can clearly witness what the repercussions of selfish foolishness would be. Everything becomes a lot more real.

Outside the window, he and the rest of the bridge crew can spot the same thing as everyone else – a few imperial cruisers, some smaller frigates, battleships, fighters, and, of course, the Emperor’s own dreadnought at the very back. Canderous should’ve expected nothing less, but how come that bastard gets to use a massive ship like that in this fight? Doesn’t feel right. It hasn’t really fired much, but the shield generation and cannons that a beast like that can provide might be able to turn the tide of this battle eventually.

The ship shakes once more as they’re hit by a few hard volleys from another imperial cruiser, even if they maintain their position. Maybe he shouldn’t have ordered them to stick to the front.  
“Mand’alor, shield status down to 65%!”, one of the crew members reports.

“Keep it steady for as long as you can!”, Canderous calls back and points at that person. “Take energy from unimportant systems if you have to. Now where are those damn fighters?!”

“On their way, Mand’alor!”, another bridge member tells him. “They were bombarding one of the frigates, but are moving around to challenge the cruisers now.”

Canderous sighs and shakes his head, not sure if he should be relieved or not.  
“Tell them to hurry up, as we can’t sit here all day.”

Even if the majority of the people on the bridge are from his people, there is one particular person that is not – Bastila. The former Jedi may not be a mandalorian, and she isn’t even present to perform any ship-related duties, but she is crucial for this battle regardless.  
For now, her eyes are somehow tracking one of the small dots in the distance, the vessel which her wife is currently on. She looks very worried, and who can blame her? Raekah is probably off doing something half-suicidal, as usual. Canderous would tell her to stay calm, that his friend knows what she’s doing, but would that be honest? He will quietly admit that he’s just as concerned. Raekah is a master at tactics and strategy, and a very capable fighter, but even she falters in the presence of this Emperor fellow. Not only that, she has been somewhat…obsessed with him for several years now, ever since she found out the truth. Who says that she won’t be doing more risky things here, in some belief that she can stop him?

Not like he has time to speak with Bastila about more casual topics anyhow, as the ship gets hit once more. They have pretty strong shield generators, which means they won’t fall any time soon, but this won’t last forever.  
“What’s the status of the weapons?”

“Almost finished charging, Mand’alor!”

Canderous nods, looking at least a little bit satisfied.  
“Good to hear. I think it’s time, then. Let’s show these people how we hammered the Republic during our glory days. Load and prepare the Thenax cannons for launch.”

“Yes, Mand’alor!”, the ones responsible for weapons exclaim.  
“Do you have a specific target?”

Well, there’s no shortage of them, of course, but he also needs to consider that they do this correctly. They only have a few more larger ships with them and he wants to spread their weaponry in as wide of a berth as possible.  
“We need to hit these bastards everywhere, so let’s target one that hasn’t felt enough fire up their ass yet. The cruiser 60 degrees off our starboard bow should do nicely.”

He has to wait no more than twenty seconds or so, until the officer gives another update.  
“Thenax cannons charged, loaded and prepped for attack, Mand’alor!”

Canderous takes a deep breath and grips the handles close to his own console. Some might suggest that he should be sitting down, but he can’t relax during a battle. He needs to be standing to provide his people with as much sharpness as possible.  
“Let’s give ‘em hell. Fire at will!”

The shot that launches through space is not just a normal blaster cannon, but a rather large blue almost electric beam that flies at an incredible speed and impacts the cruiser. It doesn’t do much to actually destroy the ship, as its nature is EMP-based, meaning its meant to rattle the shields and destroy the defenses. They might have need of that cruiser later on, after all, but they can certainly do without the crew.

“Success! Perfect hit, Manda’lor!”

That makes him smile and a few of others start to cheer.  
“Brenta, open a comm channel to our other ships.”

The indicated member does as he says, initiating communications with other mandalorian vessels.  
“Communications open, Mand’alor.”

“Ships of the Mando’ade fleet, this is Te Taylir Mand’alor. We’ve crippled one of the enemy’s cruisers and it’s time to show these bastards why you don’t mess with us! I pose an open challenge for all boarding-capable ships to get onto that vessel and take over its controls, so that we can turn their weapons against them. Make me proud, people.”  
As soon as he shuts down the channel, he turns to look towards the only non-mandalorian on the bridge.  
“Bastila, it’s up to you now. Aid my people out there.”

She smiles back at him and nods, before she kneels down, preparing her Battle Meditation.  
“I will do my best. Keep the ship intact in the meantime, will you?”

He snorts and watches as some sort of energy seems to form and surround her.  
“Don’t worry about us, we’ll make it through this.”

* * *

  
In another section of the same system, currently heading in high velocity towards one of the imperial vessels, a group of mandalorian warriors have gathered inside the room just outside their airlock, where they will soon be docked with the enemy ship; unless they’re shot down, of course.  
All of them are wearing heavy armor, but they come in a variety of colors and with all sorts of marks and patterns. Some of them are to display clan or groups within the clans, while others are more custom additions of a variety of causes.

After Mandalore’s message, most of them seem excited, roaring or howling their anticipation for the coming battle, but it’s not all that they emit. One of them, a battle commander, pushes his way up to the door and tries to gain their attention.  
“Mando’ade! Fellow warriors! It’s time, it’s finally our time to shine and show this so-called Empire what we are capable of. They will all taste Mando’ade steel and blasters before the end of this battle!”  
Another cheer, and someone even fires their blaster, before the commander raises his arms to silence them.  
“Let’s not forget our mission, though. The plan is to fight our way to the bridge and take control of the cruiser. We will also need at least two squads to seize the engine room and secure the escape pods. Once we have the ship, we turn it against the enemy’s other vessels and cause more havoc.  
The Imperial Guard may be tough bastards, according to our intel on them, but they haven’t faced the best warriors in the galaxy yet.”

At least the commander knows how to get his troops going and what makes them happy. Or perhaps they’re all just too consumed by the fact that they’ll finally get to shoot something, to actually think about anything else.  
However, before they’ve even landed, they hear more voices from the other side.  
“Hey, step aside, will ya? Comin’ through!”

Several of the gathered warriors turn their eyes in that direction, trying to see what’s going on. Even the commander seems a bit confused.  
“What’s going on over there?”

“Trying to get to the damn door!”, the same person calls back. “Not sure you mandos know how to do this kind of stuff just yet. Let us show you how to launch a real strike against an empire.”

Once enough of them are out of the way, the commander and several other people at the front see how another small group has pushed its way to the door. The majority of them are women, with two humans, one echani, and a cathar. The last member of the group is a droid, equipped with a rather lengthy rifle. Except for the robes that most of them are wearing, the mandalorians also notice the weapons that the ladies are wielding – lightsabers.

“What’s with those faces, huh?”, Mira asks as she smirks and puts a hand at her hip. She’s the one who’s done all the talking up until now as well, of course. “Never seen a mandalorian Jedi before?”

It’s not like they need to see the warriors around them to know how tense the situation is, but the way some people clench their fists doesn’t really help much.  
Brianna sighs and shakes her head.  
“Mira, please, try not to antagonize them. We do not need to encourage them to be even more hostile to us.”

The redhead snorts and shrugs.  
“I’m not ‘antagonizing’ anyone, Bree. Just telling ‘em what’s gonna happen! They understand what I’m talking about, I’m sure.”

“…I am not even confident that you know what it is you are trying to say.”

While they bicker, Juhani tries to stay focused on the battle ahead.  
“I hope everyone has prepared themselves and stand ready to fight for their lives. This battle is not a normal one and will not be like many of those you may have fought before. Stay close to each other, remain calm and do your best not to damage the hull of the ship. We will need it for as long as we are on it.”

It seems she’s speaking as much to her fellow Jedi as she is trying to explain the situation to the mandalorians. Either way, everyone is listening.  
Atris appears to be the most skeptical in their group, though. When she gets the chance, she leans closer to the cathar at her side and whispers.  
“Can we really be sure that they won’t turn on us when given the chance?”

Juhani glances back at her, offering her a relatively confident smile.  
“You really don’t trust them much at all, do you?”

“The only people I trust less than mandalorians are Sith. Anyone who believes differently is a fool.  
As a cathar, I thought you would understand.”

Juhani looks distant for but a moment, as forgotten memories return to her.  
“Believe me, I do, but while I will never forgive them, I know that we need their aid in the coming battle. As a cathar, I would crave revenge, but I am more than just my species. I am a Jedi, and vengeance is not becoming of us.”

Atris turns to watch the other woman fully, seeing the ambiguous emotions that flows through Juhani’s eyes. She already respected the Jedi Master, but it seems Juhani constantly finds new way to impress Atris.  
“I understand. I will keep my doubts to myself.”

The whole ship soon vibrates, as they seem to have slowed down, and they hear noise from the devices nearby the wall of their current position.  
“We are being docked with the cruiser. Time to prepare our strike!”, Juhani exclaims.

From the Jedi’s flank, they hear a noise as if a machine is being initiated, and then the mechanical sound of HK-47’s voice.  
“Report: Armaments locked and loaded. Settings fixed at maximum destructive capabilities and accuracy rating placed on the highest possible efficiency level.  
Admission: I look forward to having a new range of meatbags to test my latest upgrades upon.”

Shortly after, the whole room seems to light up and the mandalorians instinctively take a step back as the Jedi ignite their lightsabers.  
As the doors slide open and they spot the imperial hallways on the other side, Mira grins and runs ahead of the rest.  
“Alright, mandos, let’s go to war!”

As she charges, she seems to get the people behind her worked up as well, and the warriors unleashes their battle cries as they follow her. A stealthy approach doesn’t really seem possible.  
Mira and Brianna, together with a few mandalorians, are the first ones to enter the interior of the enemy ship, seeing how the Imperial Guard has already lined up and prepared themselves. At least two dozen soldiers in heavy armors combined with robes – all of it in crimson red – stand ready for their enemies. They hold a variety of tech staves, vibroblades and blaster rifles, weapons that immediately target their enemies.

Mira leaps into combat, raises her lightsaber and slams it into the first foe she can reach, giving her the honor of starting the battle.

* * *

  
There are few sections of this battle that anyone would claim to be particularly calm. Not even the flank of the imperial fleet is safe, nor empty of blaster fire roaming everywhere. However, despite this very chaotic fact, the crew of a particular ship will not allow themselves to be stopped. They need to reach the Emperor’s dreadnought whether they want to or not, as they have to get a better angle of their enemy. This would of course be a whole lot easier task if it wasn’t for the fact that they’re currently being chased by an array of starfighters.

When considering this, one might expect that the people on the bridge would be more fearful, but the foremost noise heard in that region, even from the pilot, is the occasional laughter. It seems Atton is having a lot of fun.  
“Is this really the best that the ‘True Sith’, can do in space? C’mon, this baby isn’t even in her best shape. Maybe Meetra was wrong about these assholes all along, eh, T3?”  
The little astromech hasn’t said much as he sits nearby, currently being plugged into some sort of console, to aid the pilot with various critical features. The response he gives sounds slightly more panicked than how Atton is acting, though.  
“Hey, calm down, we’ll make it through this, okay? Just keep your bolts screwed in, and make sure you don’t drop shields.”  
T3 beeps once more, this time louder than before.  
“…oh c’mon, that’s not even what I said!”

Another voice is soon heard over the intercom system.  
“Rand!”, Jolee shouts to him. “Could you try to keep this ship just a bit steadier? I can’t aim if you keep spinning around like this!”

Despite the very serious and risky situation they’re in, Atton can’t help but smirk to himself before he pushes the button to respond.  
“Why are you blaming me? Maybe it’s just your age obscuring your aim. Don’t worry, it happens to all of us eventually.”

“Or maybe you should keep your big mouth shut before I come down there to do it for you, you ungrateful little shit! I’m not up here because I want to be!”

“Ooh! Grandpa Jedi knows some bad words too, huh?”

“Atton, we’re in a firefight in space! Could you please try not to completely disrupt my concentration before they blow us out of here?!”

Atton snorts.  
“You’re the one who started this argument, Bindo! Don’t get into battles you can’t win.”  
Shortly after, he cuts off the sound and grabs ahold of the navigational controls properly.  
“Guess he’s got a point, though. Let’s get serious and show them that the Hawk isn’t the heap of junk it looks like. Right, T3?”  
He receives some beeping in response that might almost sound like muttering.  
“Hey, you’re basically a talking trashcan! You wouldn’t be able to do anything without me! And there’s no way I’m letting you fly.”

After increasing speed with the thrusters, the Ebon Hawk starts to spin and swirl around, swiftly switching positions to lure their pursuers away. Jolee may continue to complain, but eventually, they find themselves getting in behind the enemy, stopping at a perfect angle for another shot. The cannons on the Ebon Hawk fire several bolts, and in just a few seconds, they seriously damage at least three imperial starfighters, before the rest of the group decides to pull away for now, to change tactics.  
Atton chooses to fly ahead of them and get a better angle of the dreadnought. It’s very likely that the enemy hasn’t realized that their little junkpile is the real danger here, which is why they have not yet felt the full force of the imperial fleet.

Once they’re in position, Atton initiates the intercom again, but this time to another room.  
“Alright, this is as good of a position as we’re likely to get. Better make the best of it, techie.”

In the center room of the ship, there are three individuals standing nearby a rather small thin device. It is the Force Neutralization Transceiver that the Gree helped them develop, a machine that one of those in the vicinity has been trying to do his very best to perfect for the last several weeks, by tuning and altering what kind of essence it pulls at.  
Once they hear Atton’s voice over the comms, Bao-Dur nods. He’s currently working on a datapad that is plugged into a terminal, which also has some wires that are connected to the platform. He needs it to monitor the device’s status and operate its various abilities.

“Will do. I have calibrated the transceiver so that it operates on the correct wavelengths. Based on all the tests I’ve been able to run up to this point, this should be accurate and the rest of us should only be affected to a minimal degree. We are ready to begin”, he says and then turns towards one of the other two in here, “as soon as you are, General.”

Meetra is standing very close to the platform, currently wearing a set of grey robes with a brown sash and a brown shirt underneath. For most of the day, she has been somewhat distant, lost in her thoughts or perhaps trying to find some peace with what she needs to do. When Bao-Dur asks, she takes a deep breath and then nods briefly.  
“I guess it’s time to do this. Let’s hope I don’t screw anything up for us.”

These two are not alone, of course, as Visas stands nearby as well. She hasn’t left Meetra’s side since they woke up together, and if she could join her girlfriend in launching this device, she probably would, but it is unfortunately not for her.  
“Do not worry”, she says calmly, “I will be here in case of an incident. I will not allow anything in here to harm you.”

Despite her current mood and with what she’s about to do, Meetra manages to display a small smile as she raises a hand to Visas’ cheek, caressing it gently.  
“I know. I trust you.”

Visas tilts her head slightly, leaning into the grasp, and she speaks rather quietly when she opens her mouth next.  
“Are you absolutely certain that you are prepared for this?”

Meetra shrugs in return.  
“I don’t think I’ll ever fully be, no matter how much I try to. If we wait until I am, we might as well give up on this whole battle, and I don’t think that’s an option. Let’s just do it.”

They are given another few moments and Meetra leans forward to kiss Visas tenderly, allowing both of them taste the anxiety they can’t deny feeling. When they separate, Visas reluctantly let’s go of Meetra and wanders over to Bao-Dur instead.  
The engineer taps away at the datapad next to him, initiating a few procedures, which soon makes the platform start to glow and only emit a very light humming noise to show that it is activate.

“Okay, here we go”, he says. “Connecting the power to your essence on your mark, General.”

She is facing the front of the ship, with them on her left side, and she nods sharply.  
“Start it up.”

By now, she has at least gotten somewhat used to the feeling of an artificial creation connecting to her being. It’s not all too different from the way that she manages to bond with other people through the Force, but it’s not quite the same either. This feels a little bit more…uncomfortable. When she bonds with her comrades or other individuals, it is akin to holding their hand and getting strengthened by their presence. With this machine, she might instead describe it as if it forcefully latches onto her and she has to pull the weight whether she wants to or not.

Bao-Dur utilizes Meetra’s presence as a base for what the machine should search for, and also lets it plug into Nathema’s location to triangulate. Due to the nature of the Force, distance to the planet doesn’t really seem to be an issue. With these two together, it’s like he suddenly gets a scanner tied directly to the Force that searches for other creatures strong in it, except not quite as accurate.

“Hmm”, he says. “I believe I can detect Vitiate’s power in the vicinity, but…I can’t locate a proper source for it. Aiming this thing at him is more difficult than I expected. It is as if trying to pinpoint something surrounded by a thick fog; I know it is there, but I won’t see it until I collide with it.  
Give me a few more minutes.”

As he can hear the conversation, Atton speaks over the intercom.  
“What did you say? Bao-Dur, they’re gonna be sending more fighters against us soon! We can’t sit here for a few more minutes.”

“It is the best I can do, Atton.”

“Wait”, Meetra suddenly says. Visas and Bao-Dur turn to her and notice how the human has closed her eyes.  
“Let me do it.”

Bao-Dur blinks confusedly.  
“What?”

“This energy…my body is getting used to it now. It’s not exactly easy, but I believe I can temporarily seize control and direct it, if I concentrate. I mean, it’s technically my power, so…”

Bao-Dur and Visas shares a look, before the engineer shrugs.  
“Go ahead, I suppose.”

“But be careful”, Visas adds.

They see how Meetra’s physically reaches out in the air above the platform and while they can’t see anything there, it seems she does. She bends her fingers and grabs ahold of something, absorbing it into her grasp. They can’t spot whatever it is, but somehow, they can sense that this is what she does, through the Force.  
Meetra feels how the weight on her mind and even her body becomes worse. She’s searching, reaching for the hollow sensation in the back of her mind, the section that she normally tries to ignore. That isn’t an option at this time, as it’s the very portion which can save her and everyone else here. Time to stop avoiding the truth.

She pulls at whatever she was holding, dragging it backwards and a few seconds later, she throws her hand forward. A bright light appears from the top of the platform at the very same second and it shoots forward, past the bridge of the Ebon Hawk and flies out through the darkness of space. Those who decide to gaze out through their windows can all see the thin beam in the distance, leaving its origin and penetrates the Emperor’s dreadnought, without even damaging the shields. The ship can do nothing to defend against it, since the beam doesn’t actually do anything to the physical realm.

“Uh…don’t wanna alarm anyone, but there’s about a two-meter-thick rainbow inside my bridge!”, Atton says over the intercom.

Bao-Dur ignores him, knowing it will go away whenever Atton decides to turn the Ebon Hawk, and instead focuses on his readings. He widens his eyes.  
“Remarkable! You did it, General! It’s astounding that this works, but we have a functioning connection to…well, I can only assume this is the Emperor.”

Visas walks closer to him, but is unable to see whatever the screen shows. All she can detect is the energy.  
“What does it say?”

It takes a few seconds for him to process everything, as Bao-Dur merely stares at it to begin with. Eventually, he slowly shakes his head.  
“These readings are…incredible. If this is the Emperor, then the energy coming from him is beyond anything we’ve ever tested. It’s impossible…is what I would say, if I didn’t know that we were meddling with the Force. I don’t suppose it has such limits.”

“It should not be unexpected anyhow”, Visas comments. “After all the stories we have heard of him, any other conclusion would be lacking. Still, at least your machine works then, yes?”

“It would seem so. Now we just have to increase the power a bit, and I think that should be…”  
He suddenly stops and furrows his brow. He starts clicking away on the datapad in silence, seemingly completely absorbed by his task.

Visas isn’t particularly satisfied with this development and turns to him.  
“What is it?”

“I…I don’t know. Something is happening with the transceiver. It isn’t following my commands.”

Somehow, the miraluka knew that everything would not go as smoothly as everyone had hoped. The device is impressive, but they should never have overestimated it.  
When she turns to see how Meetra is doing, she feels the worries in her chest stinging her even further.  
“Meetra?”

The human is standing like she did before, but something has happened. The previously rather bright aura around her has darkened and they see a very clear sign of how she is frowning, possibly being strained. This belief is increased when she tries to speak.  
“I…can’t…”

Visas clenches her fist, almost having to restrain herself from running up to Meetra, but she doesn’t know the consequences of such an act.  
“Bao-Dur, what is going on?”

He is frantically reading the text on the datapad, as well as the terminal, but what he’s seeing doesn’t make sense.  
“I-I’m not sure. There must be some kind of malfunction. The readings tell me that the energy is somehow turning around, being aimed in the opposite direction, but that’s not…”  
His frown deepens as he tries to access various options, but when he gets errors several times in a row, he leans forward and slams his organic hand on the top of the terminal.  
“Dammit. It must be the Emperor. I don’t know how he did it, but he is somehow draining the energy directly from the machine and then sending it back to us, in his own frequency, which corrupts it. I ran hundreds of tests, but nothing like this occurred in any of them.”

If she had been concerned previously, Visas is now feel it even more and she soon won’t be able to keep herself away from Meetra.  
“Can you shut it down? We can try this again later.”

“I’m trying to, but it will not respond to my commands. If this continues, I am not sure what will happen to it…or to the General.”

They can suddenly feel vibrations through the ship, as if some kind of blast impacts the ship. Shortly after, Atton’s voice returns on the comms.  
“What’s going on back there? Are you done soon or what? The dreadnought is hammering us with its cannons and it’s got a clear shot! I’m not sure how long we can stay this close!”

Bao-Dur exhales, hoping to remain calm.  
“Do your best, Atton! This is not going quite as smoothly as we may have hoped. Give me a few more minutes to recalibrate the device. I won’t let Vitiate defeat the weapon that easily.”

“Alright, I’ll do my best for ya, but don’t count on this scrap pile staying in the air for too many minutes!”

While Bao-Dur gets back to work, trying to find commands to regain control of the transceiver, Visas tries to watch her girlfriend. She considers what she can do and wonders if not some meditation might work, to give Meetra more strength to work with. She is likely fighting a battle as well.  
Strangely enough, Meetra soon grits her teeth and her arms start to shiver.  
“I…I’ve had enough of that bastard. This isn’t working, Bao-Dur.”

“I know”, he responds. “I’m adapting to it, General. Just give me a moment.”

“No…it will never work through sheer technological means. We have to do this directly.”

Visas involuntarily takes another small step forward.  
“What are you saying?”

Meetra opens her eyes and furrows her brow, still turned forward from where she’s standing.  
“I’m saying…I’m taking the fight to him.”

“Meetra, no!”

Visas tries to hurry up to her girlfriend’s location, but Meetra has a shorter distance to walk and only has to take one long step forward, before she stands right on top of the platform. She doesn’t simply hold the beam anymore, but connects it to her own body. At that very second, an abundance of energy shoots right through her, entering her with such speed that she can only barely process it. Shortly after, her vision goes brighter and brighter, until it is filled with white and the world around her disappears.

* * *

  
The pain, that is what gets her to first realize that she’s still alive, or at least that wherever she ended up isn’t a particularly pleasant area. The plan, if one can call it that, was kinda haphazardly decided upon after all, and she only did what she could in that situation. She felt very strongly that, if she had reacted in any other way, Vitiate would’ve won and the device would be consumed. She doesn’t know what indicated this idea, other than her gut feeling, but in situations like these, perhaps that’s all she can rely upon.

Despite what her mind tells her, and how much the headache tries to prevent her from doing so, she opens her eyes and pushes her arms against the floor to at least get into a seated position. The material below her is smooth but hard, like a somewhat polished stone. She doesn’t know where it came from, but it’s not the strangest aspect of what she can see. Everything surrounding her has a grainy appearance to it, and she starts to wonder if there’s something wrong with her eyes, but it feels a little bit too unnatural for that to be possible.

Her current surroundings are not the most interesting place she has ever been to, but the unnerving nature of it makes her feel curious. It’s a crossroad of some kind, with four dark paths leading up to some gateways, with no apparent end. There are lights along the routes, in all sorts of colors, but only as blips, small fading dots here and there. She doesn’t know where this might be or how she got here, but she can’t sense anything outside, and everything within is silent and hollow.

After she stands up, she hears more noises from behind, slow footsteps that seem to approach her. She quickly turns around, to face whatever is coming, and that is when she spots the hooded figure in black robes.  
She doesn’t want to admit it, but somewhere in the depths of her heart, she knows that she has been waiting to meet him, that the two of them were always destined to encounter one another. She sensed his essence back on Dromund Kaas, something she could not deny, and it’s pretty clear that they are connected.  
It would be impossible to say that it makes her feel comfortable, though. Instead, it is as if they both contain two gaping maws, eagerly wishing to consume one another. His is just a little bit hungrier.

“So, here we are. Finally, we meet”, Vitiate says in a mildly amused tone. “We have not had much chance to be introduced, have we?”

She frowns and folds her arms, at least being glad to notice that she is dressed in the same way as she was back in the ship.  
“Well, it’s not like you’ve ever tried to call and say hello.”

Vitiate snorts derisively and shakes his head.  
“Meetra Surik. What a fascinating creature you are, from a purely scientific point of view. As an opponent, you are not particularly intriguing, nor impressive.”

“Yeah well, right back at ya, buddy. This galaxy already has too many old men thinking they’re so much wiser than the rest of us.”

“Ah, yes, and the famous attitude as well. It seems that has been with you for quite some time, hmm? Even during the Mandalorian Wars it was present to a certain degree, if Revan’s perception is correct.”

At first, she was just going to give him some kind of snarky comment in return, but his current words make her frown.  
“And how would you know that, huh? Have you been snooping around her mind again?”

He comes ever closer, his pace still being relatively slow, but he will be upon her soon enough.  
“I would not use such a term, but of course I gain what knowledge I want from her. She is the most fascinating creature here, perhaps the one I would say has my attention more than any other in this galaxy. For a long time, I have waited for the chance to attain her, but she is a crafty woman. She refuses to accept her destiny, despite the benefits.”

“The only benefits in that kind of relationship are yours. As always, you only care about yourself.”

He suddenly turns his head up somewhat, not much, but enough for her to spot something within the darkness. There are small red lights beneath the cowl, like two glaring glowing orbs. If those are his eyes, she doesn’t want to see the rest of his face.  
“It is both unfortunate and pitiful that Revan would put such faith in you, that her belief is so fiercely placed behind your success. Someone like you, who has never shown to be impressive in any way, should not gain such attention. You should have been forgotten long ago.”

Parts of her feel like stepping back, as if she’d want to gain some distance between them, but she also realizes that this is likely what he’d want as well. She’s here to defeat him, after all, and whatever she did in the ship must have initiated this realm. Is this part of her mind or his? Either answer would probably unnerve her.  
“You really know how to make a girl feel miserable, don’t you? Funny thing is, though, I don’t really care about what you think.”

“I have watched your progress, you know. I observed all of you back then, during the war – Revan, Malak, and you. Just like now, you were nothing more than mediocre. You may have had a mind for tactics, but that alone does not make you special. It is a trait which many who are blind to the Force possesses.  
In terms of pure power, mental capacity, philosophy, creativity…you falter. All of those categories are ones you retain flaws within, which do not come close to comparing with some of the greatest, not even the other Jedi at your side.  
And yet, somehow, Revan believed that you were supposed to be the one to challenge me here? You were the one chosen to take me down? It’s laughable to even consider it.”

Finally, he stops, leaving no more than a few meters between them and while he glares at her, she doesn’t back down. She accepts his challenge and keeps her gaze directed at him too.  
“Are you done? If so, we should move on. Maybe your pawns and servants like to listen to you babble while they bow at your feet, but I’m not particularly impressed by you either.  
Guys like you live for their own ego, and you love hearing your own voice too much. In the end, it’s just about you, isn’t it? Nothing else matters. Nothing else should be allowed to be equal to you, right?  
And you see, that’s the problem with Sith. You will fall, just like every other famous ‘Lord’ or ‘Darth’ or whatever stupid titles you like to use. You’re not special, and whether we’re the ones to destroy you, or the generation after us, you will never succeed. Maybe you’d like to pretend that you think so, but in your heart, you know as well as I do that your death is inevitable.”

She knows that she just returned the same sort of gesture, by talking his ears off too, but someone has to. It’s clear that Raekah never does, or else he wouldn’t be so overconfident.  
In some small way, this also seems to get to him, which is why he is silent for several moments, before he finally reacts. He raises a hand in her direction, and while he doesn’t move any closer, she feels how something happens around her. Invisible power is emitted from him, surrounding her, and she senses how something starts poking her body. The pokes not only multiply in numbers, but in speed as well, getting worse and worse until she feels as if there’s an actual pressure attempting to crush her.

“Do you feel that, worm? It is the impending and crippling power of your demise closing in on you. The truth of your failures has finally returned to destroy you. _Kneel_.”  
She doesn’t wish to listen to him, tries to ignore it, but her body acts on its own, too enveloped by agony that she has no choice when she falls to her knees.  
“You remember them now, don’t you? All the misery you have caused, all the people you never managed to help. I can sense them too, and with a simple pull of your strings, they are mine. No matter how much you try to struggle, these events cannot be escaped, and they will eventually tear you apart, if I apply the correct methods.”

Her body continues to fall as she leans forward, hands put down on the ground and she clenches them. She feels how she shivers, breathing becoming heavier. She doesn’t know where it originates from or how to push back. Is there even a way out of this or has she trapped herself?  
_“Let yourself be but a lingering echo, a long-forgotten disease. May you deserve the fate you brought upon us.”_

“Did you think the elements on Malachor V were the most destructive, the most depraving darkness in this galaxy?”, Vitiate asks. “It is pitiful, pale in comparison to what I have witnessed.  
It may have been a corruption, a wound in reality, but an injury is nothing next to the void. As its core dances to my whims, surely you see how futile your efforts were, how easily I take your gifts and wrap them around my own grasp.”

Meetra grits her teeth, feeling such an intensely fierce pain in her gut that she can hardly even describe it. It’s like her own body is trying to split her in half, which doesn’t even sound plausible.  
“Fuck…you…”

“Revan lied to you. You are not my equal, not a rival in levels of power. You are no more than an infection and such things can easily be _purged_.”

She falls to the side, now lying down fully on the ground and she pushes her head backwards, her mouth opening to let her scream. It was as if her body twisted something extra when he uttered that last word.  
“I…don’t want to be like you”, she says, voice straining, as just speaking is difficult. “Trying to become…equal to you would be the…biggest mistake of my life.”

Vitiate chuckles briefly.  
“See, that is the very reason why you will never understand true power like Revan did. There is something within you which makes you fight your own potential. It is why you will always be stuck like this, trapped in a pitiful state, similar to an insect throwing itself into its trap. You can never defeat me, and you should have realized that fact long ago.”

Agony. It has been a long time, several years since she last felt herself suffer in this way. Not since the days of the Mandalorian Wars, since the darkness around Malachor V, has she reached this amount of pain, where her body can’t accept it, where it seems ready to get away from the source at any cost, making any sacrifices as to not be lost. Back then, she inadvertently tore herself from the Force to prevent being consumed by devastation, and somehow, without even letting her know the details, Vitiate is trying to replicate that very feeling with his own power.  
It’s painful beyond recognition, practically unbearable and she doesn’t know what to do, isn’t sure whether she can go through it again, if her mind can make the same decision. What kind of mistake would that be? Is she even able to survive? Everything she has gone through, everything she has lost, would be for nothing.

Just as she feels how she’s coming closer, standing on the verge of elimination or separation, something happens. A sense of warmth enters her, starting at the very depths of her being, hiding beneath the darkness that consumes her. It’s so small that she doesn’t even notice it at first, before it slowly begins to surge through her body and rejuvenates everything, section by section. Not only does it ease the tension and the strain, but returns control as well.  
When she finally opens her eyes, and tries to gain some understanding, she wonders what could’ve caused this. Has she some kind of hidden strength that she didn’t even know of? Was this what Raekah spoke of?  
The answer, of course, is no; the power does not originate from her, but from others, people willing to stand up and never surrender. It makes her smile.

As she raises her hand, the very air around her emits a cracking noise, like shattering glass and Vitiate flinches, taking a step back. He widens his eyes as he lowers his arms, feeling how confusion comes over him.  
“What…what is this?”

Meetra’s inner warmth grows to such levels that she actually starts to glow and when she waves her hand, a powerful force pushes into him, violently knocking him backwards into the corridor he previously stood at. It also gives her strength to stand up.  
“You know what the difference is between you and me? You always prattle on about yourself, how you are the strongest, the wisest, the best, undefeatable. I acknowledge that I am inferior, that I’m not the master you believe yourself to be. I know that I can’t win alone, no one can.”

“You…you can’t be serious. You are nothing. You can’t-“

She takes the light surrounding her and gathers it all into her hand, and when it has been collected, she flings it at him, sending him bursting through the corridor, until he slams into one of the walls far away. A similar beam as the machine created in the Ebon Hawk is being emitted directly from Meetra and it is now pushing into Vitiate. For every second that passes, it gets larger and wider, trying to envelop his entire being and trap him. Very slowly, it also starts to crystallize.

“My strength is not in myself, _Emperor_ , but dependent on others. It’s the kind of power you will never achieve.”  
  
Some of the shadows that obscured his face disperses, and she can now see the disbelief in his eyes as well as his gritted teeth. It is the expression of someone who has never lost, who refuses to acknowledge the inevitable.  
"This...isn't over", he struggles to say. "You will never win. I will have my revenge, Surik."  
  
Meetra tilts her head amusedly and smirks back at him.  
"And _we_ will be ready for you, no matter how much you try. That's the problem with the void, Vitiate - it gets very lonely when you eat all your friends.  
Have fun rotting in your own trash, Sith."  
  


* * *

  
With a heavy gasp, Meetra’s eyes shoot open and she finds herself back in her own body, still standing on the platform. Compared to the darkened aura from before, she is now glowing more brightly than ever and the beam into the dreadnought is still intact.  
However, what seizes most of her attention is not any of the machinery, but the three people standing all around her. Bao-Dur is on the left side, Jolee on the right, and Visas at the front, all holding a hand each at her, feeding her their spirits, granting her strength.

“Can you hear us, Meetra?”, Visas asks.

Meetra smiles and nods eagerly.  
“I can. I…I managed to turn the tide, thanks to you guys.”

Jolee snorts amusedly and shakes his head.  
“We all felt the energy consuming you, saw how it was trying to shut you in its grasp. Couldn’t let you lose that easily, now could we?”

Now that she is finally out, Bao-Dur moves away from the platform.  
“Excuse me, I need to check the readings again.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll keep her intact”, Jolee assures him.

While she is excited to have won, Meetra can’t help but sense how she’s breathing heavily, like her body really overexerted itself. After what she endured at Vitiate’s hands, maybe it isn’t so strange to consider.  
She glances over her shoulder, trying to see her companion and his expression.  
“How’re we looking, Bao-Dur?”

Shortly after, she spots a smile forming on the engineer’s lips, and he nods slowly.  
“We’re getting good results. All the energy is turning in his direction and the intensity is growing. The transceiver is doing its job and I believe it will fully crystallize soon. Vitiate should be captured in his own essence in a few minutes.”  
He turns to look at her, seeming strangely proud.  
“You did it, General. You defeated him.”

Meetra leaves her mouth open at first, never thinking she would hear those words. It becomes so overwhelming that she leans her head back and laughs. It takes a few seconds for her to actually gather herself enough to speak again.  
“Wouldn’t say I did it alone. I’d have been toasted if you guys weren’t here.”

Now that things seem more stable, Visas and Jolee step back, with the miraluka only moving a few meters away while still watching over Meetra, and the old man taking the opportunity to sit down on a chair.  
“A little bit too much excitement in one day for me, but I’m glad it’s over”, Jolee remarks.

Visas nods.  
“Just make sure that you seal his prison tightly.”

Meetra closes her eyes, trying to concentrate. It seems like she has control now, for the most part.  
“Yeah, don’t worry, not gonna let him get away. His servants will probably wanna carry him off in his little cage, and I’m fine with it, as soon as-“

“Wait”, Bao-Dur suddenly says, and when they turn to him, they notice how his eyes are widened in shock.  
“Something…something is wrong. I’m not entirely sure what’s happening, but the information I’m getting here shows how the crystallization process has halted. I will try to increase the levels, but it might not be-“

Even before he can finish his sentence, the eruption occurs outside of his control. Without anyone being able to predict it, the machine beneath Meetra suddenly explodes. The destruction is quite contained around the machine itself, with everyone else being outside of the blast, but Meetra is sent flying backwards violently, slamming into one of the metal walls and then drops down on the floor, lying motionlessly.

“Meetra!”, Visas calls out in panic and hurries up to her girlfriend. She ignores everything else and moves her arms around Meetra, holding onto her and tries to assess her condition. It appears the Jedi leader has lost her consciousness and a trail of blood soon runs down both from her head, and her nose.

“What the hell was that?!”, Atton’s voice is heard over the intercom. “Was that an explosion back there?”

Bao-Dur looks unsure and after watching Visas and Meetra for a moment, he shifts his eyes to the machine, seeing how it is cracked in several places, with smoking pouring out from it.  
“I-I don’t know. The transceiver just…broke somehow.”

“What do you mean ‘broke’? How? You didn’t try to use the plasma welder on it, did you?”

Bao-Dur ignores the jibe or whatever it is, while he tries to check the information on his datapad. In the meantime, Jolee hurries over to a wall and grabs the fire extinguisher from one of the corners, before he goes back to put out any potential fire on the machine.  
Bao-Dur is not left to concentrate, unfortunately, as they hear how the communication units emit noises and Raekah’s familiar voice appears through it.

“Hello, Ebon Hawk, do you hear me? What’s going on over there? I felt how the energy erupted for a second and then just…dissipated.”

“There was an explosion”, Jolee says loudly. “Something went wrong with the machine and it overloaded.”

“What? Overloaded? But…  
Is everyone okay? Is Meetra okay?”

Once Jolee is done with the smoke, he glances at the two women by the wall. Visas has apparently fetched some kolto.  
“We don’t know yet. She passed out, but she should be alive.”

Bao-Dur sighs, shuts his eyes, and then raises a hand up to his forehead, putting pressure on it with a few fingers.  
“Dammit…I think I miscalculated, Supreme Commander.”

Seeing how it’s directed towards her, Raekah is the one to respond.  
“What are you talking about?”

“It appears that Vitiate’s power, it’s…too strong. He couldn’t be held down with the capabilities of my device. Meetra managed to get close, but I believe he severed the connection by pumping it full with energy until it burst. And, unfortunately, I believe we did not manage to contain him completely. His power is still out there and he’s awake. We…we failed.”

Over inside her own ship, sitting behind the controls with Scourge close to her, still in the middle of a raging battle all around them, Raekah narrows her eyes while she looks up to see the dreadnought somewhere currently above her.  
“Do you know if he was drained in any way?”

“He was, yes, that much is certain, but I doubt it was enough. Not for our purposes at least.”

Raekah nods slowly and starts to plot a new course.  
“Then it’s not over. I’m going in.”

Despite who she was talking to, this particular conversation is being transmitted to other ships. This is why the next voice heard over the comms belongs to Bastila.  
“Wait, Rae, what did you just say? You’re not trying to get into his dreadnought, are you? Tell me that’s not what I heard.”

Raekah sighs, having known that there would be protests. She would’ve liked a private channel now, but that’s not something they can currently arrange.  
“I’m sorry, Bastila, I have to do this. I can’t let Vitiate get away, not now when we’re so damn close to succeeding. I’m going to take him down.”

“Wha-…Rae, are you mad?! You can’t go in there alone!”

“There is no other way, Bastila! Our ship is the only one with a straight shot at him right now! I have to seize this opportunity while their fleet is in disarray.”  
She bites her tongue for a moment, trying to summon something that might ease the tension, but she can’t think of anything worthwhile.  
“I won’t let them leave, I swear. I’ll be out of it before they can retreat.”

Several silent seconds pass by, so tense that Raekah almost wonders if they lost communication with the Kandosii. Eventually, Bastila does speak, but her voice is filled with reluctance.  
“…fine, go. But if you don’t come out of there again, I…I’ll never forgive you.”

Raekah shuts her eyes for a moment, and when she opens them again, she sees how the dreadnought fills her entire vision.  
“I’ll try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _According to wookieepedia, Kandosii means 'Indominatable' in Mando'a and I felt that was a suitable name for Mandalore's ship._   
>  _And yeah, just guess what next week's chapter is gonna be called. Not the most imaginative, I know._   
> 


	48. Revan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Sorry about the delay of this chapter. My computer broke down late on Wednesday evening and I was afraid it might've died completely. Fortunately it was "only" the graphics card, but it took about a day of doing various tests and stuff until I could finally be done and didn't really have any time at all to write._

The starboard quarter hangar bay of the Emperor’s dreadnought has been quiet for the most part during the last several minutes, ever since the starfighters stationed here departed. To avoid any serious damage, most of the personnel has been relocated to other areas, where they can do more good and not risk becoming the collateral sort. A pause in this notion occurs when another starship – larger than a fighter, but not much more than a small freighter – blows open the shield on this section and then flies through the force field, before going in for a slow and safe landing.

In the bridge of this vessel, there are only two people. One of them is wearing a set of black pants, white shirt, and a long blue coat on top, while the other seems more prepared for combat, adorned in heavy grey armor, with a long black cape on his back.  
Raekah sits behind the controls and shuts down the engine, but before she leaves her seat, she hears how the comm chatter continues, with a rather ominous warning.  
“Mayday! Mayday! This is Atton Rand of the Ebon Hawk! We’ve been severely struck on the port beam of the hull! We’re losing control and integrity pretty damn quick!  
We’ve got no choice and whatever mando ship we’re currently heading towards, I hope you guys are ready for this! Clear the hangar bay!”

Raekah furrows her brow in worry, feeling an instinctive sensation to turn the ship back around, to go out there and help them, but she realizes it can’t end like that. As he knows it even better than her, Scourge leans forward and clicks the button to shut off communications. Raekah turns to look at him.  
“We have to leave”, he says. “He will be waiting.”

Raekah gazes at him silently for several moments, searching the red eyes of the pureblood, before she takes a deep breath and sighs.  
“I know.”

Scourge lifts his hand towards the gear lying on his left, attaching his weapon, a few thermal detonators, a stun gun and other useful items to his belt. There’s no telling how much they’ll require once the fighting begins.   
“Are you ready for it?”

She can’t hold this notion for long and her eyes fall to the floor, only being able to shrug in order to express her emotions.  
“I’m not sure, but what choice do we have? He needs to die.”

Scourge nods in agreement and both of them get up, walking together towards the exit hatch. When they leave the ship, they enter the grey interior of the hangar bay, only dimly lit in certain regions, possibly to preserve power. It’s almost eerily silent and the lights of blaster fire outside the force field is only a distant reminder that they are not out of this yet. There is still more chaos and destruction to face, hopefully what will end this entire thing. To Raekah, it is reminiscent of the day she entered Mandalore’s vessel during the Wars, to seek their leader out. It’s almost unthinkable that this encounter will be even worse.

Before they have a chance to proceed, the western blast doors to the bay opens up and the duo is met with the sight of the first line of defenses that Vitiate has prepared. The two give each other another brief look, before they grab their hilts and ignite their lightsabers, illuminating the area in purple and red. As a salvo of blaster fire flies towards them, they charge into combat.

* * *

  
On another imperial vessel, a cruiser that was recently boarded by mandalorian troops, it is not going particularly well for the Imperial Guard. Except for the strength of the mandalorian strike team, the Jedi additions have been quite advantageous for their progress throughout this vessel, even as strange as the notion of the two of them fighting together has been. A decade ago, very few could’ve ever believed that something like this would happen.

It may have taken the team awhile, and they have not gone without losses, but they have finally reached the doors of the bridge. Fortunately, at least the casualties have been minimal, something that the warriors can thank the Jedi for, with their defensive capabilities.  
If they should be grateful to any single Jedi, however, it would be Juhani. Mira may have taken the first steps to start the fight, but the cathar was soon almost instinctively put in control. She is the one who has led the charge through the vessel and even now, there are few things that can stop her advance.

Juhani’s stance seems practically unbreakable as she blocks shot after shot, occasionally utilizing the Force to knock one imperial into another, before she leaps forward to get into melee range. Her attacks are backed up by HK-47 from afar, sniping down any exposed enemies, and Atris up close. The human still falls behind, but she does her best to keep their leader’s flank clear, in case the imperials think they can use tricks to get around Juhani.

As they pour into the bridge, the remaining Jedi split their duties, with Mira leaping to the left side, followed by a few mandalorians, and Brianna taking the other angle.  
Mira’s style tends to be focused on her lightsaber, but if she happens to end up too far away, she gets behind cover and switches mode on her lightsaber into the blaster pistol, to fire at their enemies. At the same time, Brianna fights in a combined style of blade attacks and more physical strikes, with her hands and feet.

The choice of the other Jedi gives Juhani the perfect chance to focus on the center of this area, in hopes of preventing the imperials from doing anything foolish, and it certainly seems like they’re going to. She knows that the bridge crew at the front will likely attempt to sabotage the Jedi’s inevitable plan, and she can’t allow that to happen.  
After carving her way forward, she decides that she can no longer delay and instead enhances herself with the Force to jump ahead, landing not too far from the guards in that section. There are only two and while both attempt to get their weapons out to counter her, speed is not on their side. She easily takes them down and therefore gains command of the controls.

Further back, Atris has been doing her best to follow their leader, assisting her at every turn, but she’s somewhat slower now that Juhani jumped ahead and therefore tries to clear the cathar’s back, making sure there’s nothing in between them and a future escape route.  
During this stride, she notes how at least one enemy on the port side has shifted away from the combat against the mandalorians and instead tries to take aim and shoot Juhani, seeing as how she still hasn’t noticed them.

Atris widens her eyes and without thinking properly, she uses the Force to jump towards her comrade.  
“Master Juhani!”

Juhani only has time to turn around and see how Atris comes right at her, before the human gets shot in the side and crashes to the ground.  
“Atris!”, she calls out in shock, before fire returns to her eyes. Juhani grits her teeth in anger and looks at the soldier who gunned the woman down. She tosses the lightsaber right at them, like some kind of throwing knife. They don’t seem to have much time to evade and falls almost instantly.  
After it is done, Juhani kneels down by Atris on the ground, lifting the other woman up to hold her.  
“Atris, can you hear me?”, she asks.

While she doesn’t get much of a response at first, she does feel how stiff Atris' body has gotten. It takes a couple of seconds before she groans in pain and clutches her side.  
“Damn…it’s been a while since I was last shot. Forgot how…painful blasters can be.”

Juhani tries to turn her head towards the right angle.  
“How bad is it? Let me see.”

Atris holds her back somewhat, though, by putting a hand on Juhani’s chest, starting to breathe heavier now.  
“No…no, it’s fine. It hurts something fierce, but I will survive. I just need…”

She coughs once more, the agony stopping her from getting much further. Worry shimmers through Juhani’s eyes, and she realizes that she can’t just leave the other Jedi here. She raises her gaze and calls out.  
“Medic! I need a medic here right now!”

In the distance, she sees how one of the mandalorians equipped with kolto packs, who was previously in the back, tries to fight their way forward. At the same time, she also notes how Atris slowly shakes her head.  
“I told you, it’s fine…I’ll live.”

Juhani shifts her gaze to face Atris once more and furrows her brow.  
“You think I will simply leave you on the ground while you are injured? Why did you even do this? When I agreed that you have to atone for your mistakes, this is not what I meant.”

“Yes, I know…but the Order cannot lose you. You are far more important than me.”

The Jedi Master doesn’t have much to say in return at first, merely squeezing Atris’ arm. It takes her a few seconds to come up with anything.  
“You are such a fool sometimes.”

Atris finally opens her eyes, looking into Juhani’s and displays a faint smile.  
“Perhaps, but you are the one who made me realize this.”

When she’s eventually sure that her friend is safely secured in the mandalorian medic’s hands, Juhani moves up to the control board at the front, checking what their current status is, both within and on the outside. It does appear that they’ve taken most of the bridge, at least, and the mandalorians are finishing off the last imperials.  
“Does anyone know the state of the ship?”

“It seems they regained power during our assault, master Jedi”, one of the mandalorian techs claim. “But they’ve been shooting in the ‘wrong’ direction ever since.”

Juhani smiles somewhat amusedly and nods.  
“Let us correct that, shall we? Turn the cannons towards the closest imperial vessel. There should be a cruiser, 70 degrees off our starboard bow.”

The tech nods and makes the adjustments.  
“As you say. Should be done in a moment.”

“Whenever you are ready, fire the main cannons. Let us achieve what we came here for.”  
It doesn’t take more than a few minutes, until the entire ship feels how the weapons are once more unloaded, but this time towards the direction of its own fleet.

* * *

  
It had been going a little bit too well up until this point. Canderous felt it, and even though he wanted to deny this claim, with how many hits they’d taken, he can’t help but acknowledge it now. Even though the mandalorians are advancing on every angle, bringing down some ships and taking over others, the imperials are certainly returning the favor at the same time.  
While they were as most confident, the Imperial Guard sent one brave team ahead of the rest, breaking through the shields and landing inside the Kandosii’s hangar. They obviously wanted to stage a similar operation, to take over the battlecruiser, but they have severely underestimated their mandalorian foes.

The Imperial Guard certainly sent an impressive number of soldiers, but while the imperial cruiser has been overtaken, the battle in the Kandosii has only reached the center of the ship, where it has come to a halt. The mandalorians should be powerful enough on their own to at least prevent a loss, but they have now also been strengthened by the appearance and presence of Mandalore himself. It seems he won’t stay on the bridge during this operation, wanting to be there with the rest of his people to defend their capital ship and prevent further deaths.

Canderous mostly sticks to the middle of the battlefield, not getting too close to the front, but not wanting to be in the back either. He uses his blaster rifle for the most part, occasionally giving out orders for where to strike or how to prepare a flank. While it is going well, he has to admit that the Imperial Guard are no pushovers. You don’t mess with them easily, and they obviously show themselves to be capable fighters, which is something he respects. If this was any other time in history, he would’ve gladly accepted a declaration of war, to test them and his own people against each other. This isn’t really the time for such foolishness, however.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take long until he comes to realize why they’ve managed to get so far into the ship to begin with, because the guards soon gain aid from behind, with four individuals charging into battle wielding red lightsabers. So, they brought Sith with them after all? He probably should’ve expected as much.  
All of them seem to be purebloods and they are crafty opponents too, deflecting mandalorian blaster with skill and patience, before taking a few of them down.

As his own people are now taking increased losses, Canderous grits his teeth and leaves his position, knowing he can’t just sit there. He unsheathes a vibrodagger and tries to ambush one of the Sith, but overestimates his own capabilities. The Sith deflects the blade and then manages to push Canderous back, by unleashing several swift and precise strikes. From his right flank, another Sith joins in, now realizing that they’ve found Mandalore. Take down the head and the rest of the mandalorians might lose heart. Naturally, it doesn’t quite work that easily for his people, but he can certainly see the angle.

They drive him away from the center of the battlefield and while Canderous has enough experience to not be killed all too easily, the Sith get increasingly impatient with him. One of them lifts a hand, pushes him back with the Force and makes him slam into the closest walls. He ducks away from the other one’s lightsaber trying to pierce him, but then has to parry the second weapon that comes at him.

“You two really enjoy the idea of fighting one aged warrior together, don’t you?”

The Sith pushing his weapon towards Canderous leans closer, looking deeply into the visor and Mandalore can see the glint in those disturbingly glowing yellow eyes.  
“We know who you are, Mandalore. If you think we won’t do everything we can to destroy you while we have the chance, you underestimate our intelligence. A foolish thing to do.”

The other Sith raises her lightsaber while Canderous is cornered, not caring that he can’t really defend against her and prepares to cut him down. Before she even manages to, she’s blown backwards by an invisible blast and stumbles away. Both Canderous and the other Sith look surprised, until they see how someone rushes towards them and gets another lightsaber right in between them, fiercely knocking the Sith aside.

The pureblood goes from being overconfident and on the verge of destroying Canderous, to now desperately defending himself against a barrage of slashes from the double-edged lightsaber of Bastila Shan.  
There’s a look of concentration on her face as she deflects and counterattacks several times over, easily parrying some strikes, turning them aside and then dodges the others. This continues until she finds a weak spot in between his defenses and pushes her blade into it, piercing his chest. He is only left to briefly gasp, before she pulls her weapon out and allows him to tumble to the ground.

The second Sith tries to attack her from behind, but Bastila ducks beneath it, jumps backwards and flips around until she stands in another battle stance. Fueled by rage, this Sith attempts to drive her away, now assisted by a few Imperial Guards too.  
Thankfully, Bastila is not alone, and with the combined strength of Bastila’s capabilities and Canderous’ aim, these foes are no match. The fight ends when Bastila decapitates one of the guards and Canderous blasts the second Sith in the back.

When it’s clear that they’ve won, Bastila turns her attention to Canderous and frowns.  
“You don’t have time to be down here! Your people need you in the rest of the system. Get back to the bridge and win us this battle!”

Her tone is demanding and harsh, making it clear that she does not approve of his need for spilling blood, when he should be commanding his fleet. Perhaps she has a point.  
“Uh, yes ma’am”, he says, nods at her and then hurries back towards the door that will eventually take him to the bridge.

Bastila watches him leave for a few seconds, and then rejoins the battle, aiding the mandalorians and cutting down as many imperials as she can.  
Occasionally, when she gets a break in the fighting, her eyes sweep the room, searching the various signs that litter the walls. They stop above a particular one that reads ‘hangar bay’.

* * *

  
With a crashing and clattering noise, the last of the foes in their path are defeated. Despite whatever resistance that these people had expected they’d make, there really was no chance when facing this duo. To attribute all of it to their identities would not be entirely fair, though, as it cannot be denied that this pair is completely driven by their purpose at this point, the very reason for why they have struggled so very hard in the past several months. For one of them, it might even be extended to several years. It has all led to this.

The large doors to the Emperor’s chambers inside the dreadnought slides open upon their approach. It’s hard to say if this is a sign that they’re welcomed within, as he likely expected them, or if the entrance is simply programmed that way. It probably doesn’t matter, and neither of them care.  
When they inspect it from the outside, both immediately notice the similarities to another place; it is reminiscent of the hallways in the Dark Temple on Dromund Kaas. They can see several pillars with spraying electricity, odd holographic displays and objects that shimmer with a menacing light, containing forbidden darkness.

As they enter the room, the first thing that both Raekah and Scourge detect is how things are different. It probably wouldn’t be of much interest to those who have never seen this type of room before, but these two senses the absence of heaviness in the air. Standing close to the Emperor can often be suffocating, even for such powerful beings as this duo, but that is not the case at this time. Raekah can’t be entirely sure, but if she focuses her senses, she believes that she can hear raspy noises in the back of the room, as if someone is breathing rather heavily.

Seeing how he’s not as forward as he is on most days, it’s not a surprise that it takes him a few seconds to speak, starting with a scoffing notion, which echoes over the chamber.  
“So, you’ve come after all. I suppose I should’ve expected as much. It is very difficult to be rid of you, it seems.”

Not only does the Emperor sound hoarser than usual, but his tone does not quite have the same confidence as she has come to expect, instead seeming annoyed or frustrated.  
Raekah frowns and keeps a tight grip around the hilt of her weapon. For now, it is turned off.  
“This encounter was always meant to happen, Vitiate. Since the first time you disrupted my life and tried to break it apart, you must’ve known I’d return.”

If he lacked conviction, she certainly does not. Perhaps that’s why he sounds amused when he snorts.  
“Of course I knew, but your reasons for doing so should not be what you have shaped them into.”

“Is that bitterness I hear? Well, this time, things won’t be so easy for you. I will not be kind, not after all you have done to us.”

“Kindness is not necessary, only submission. I suppose the time for such demands have long since departed, however.”

As the duo continue to walk inside, Scourge notices how Raekah looks towards him, but only briefly. It doesn’t take long until he hears her speak quietly.  
“Sorry about this.”

He doesn’t even have time to respond, before Raekah’s hand flies up, and through the Force, she violently knocks him into a wall, with such speed that he practically passes out. He doesn’t move once he falls, at any rate, and his weapon drops to the ground.  
From the other side, she hears a chuckle.  
“Such dramatic gestures. Rather unnecessary, though, wouldn’t you say?”

Raekah frowns in the direction of the throne.  
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out that you were using him against us? I know you well enough by now to recognize an obvious trap.”

She tries to sound as convincing as possible, hoping that he buys it. She’s not sure if she will ever know the truth, though.  
“You always were very observant”, Vitiate says, but not in disappointment.

After this is over, Raekah turns her back on the pureblood on the ground, resuming her stride towards the opposite end of the long room. For now, she fidgets with a button on her lightsaber. The further she goes, the more she starts to see the position which Vitiate has on his seat.  
“You look much worse for wear than last time we saw each other. Something wrong?”, she asks with an undertone of amusement.

He seethes and clutches the armrest of his chair.  
“Don’t be so smug. Do you think you are the superior creature here? Just because you had some cheap trick to utilize this time, it does not mean you can simply destroy me at a moment’s notice.  
You remember the end of our last encounter, don’t you? Perhaps you should be wary of what you wish for.”

Raekah clenches her weapon and frowns. If he wants to anger her, he is succeeding.  
“What, did you think I came here without a plan? Last time, Alek and I charged inside that temple, without a prior idea of how to fight you nor what deceit you had prepared. I’m pretty sure even you will see the difference this time.”

The center of the room lights up as Raekah ignites her blade and without waiting for a response, she rushes his position. She watches him all the way, hoping to spot any tricks before he unleashes them, but none of that occurs. Instead, he raises his hand somewhat away from her, and pulls something from Scourge’s location. The pureblood’s lightsaber flies into his hand and he start it up just moments before Raekah reaches him. He rises at the last second and parries her blade, attempting to hold her back as their weapons collide.

With the lights shining on them, it’s impossible to not see his features now, the truth that hides behind the cowl. Pale red skin, various spurs and tendrils usually seen on a pureblood, without any of the jewelry. Most of all, though, it is his fully black eyes that get her attention, like a dual source of void all on their own.  
“The insolence you have shown here, will be repaid”, he tells her through gritted teeth. “I had high hopes for you once, but if you keep struggling, I will have to dispose of you.”

She feels how he tries to push, but it is not enough to drive her away, not this time. The strength behind her gaze is much sharper than what he provides.  
“You talk high and mighty for someone who’s about to die. You have hurt this galaxy for the last time, Vitiate. The Republic and its people have suffered enough.”

After averting their weapons down, Raekah goes for another strike, this one from the side and their duel starts for real, with their blades meeting over and over in quick bursts, instead of staying in place. The cracks of the lightning inside the nearby machines make a lot of noise, but they do not echo as much as each collision of the weapons.  
Vitiate is certainly a capable fighter, that much cannot be denied, and most Sith may not stand a chance against him, but it’s obvious that this is not where his expertise lies. He has no tricks here, no defenses or attacks that Raekah doesn’t know much more of, and can easily counterattack against. For now, he holds firm at least, managing to deflect any serious injuries, but her blade does periodically dig into his robes.

Occasionally, he tries to utilize the Force to knock her backwards, but her mental barriers are too strong to let it happen, which means he has to get some distance on his own, if that’s what he wants. During one section of the fight, after her has gathered a substantial amount of power, he jumps away from her, and when he raises his hand, a stream of purple lightning shoots towards her. Unfortunately, he underestimates her capabilities once more.  
Before the attack even reaches her, she had expected this turn of events and therefore summons energy within herself. The lightning he unleashed is met with one from her fingers, at an almost equal level. The two strikes collide in the middle, struggling for domination, until both have to break off and crash into the walls and roof. Shortly after, she charges at Vitiate again, getting into melee range, forcing him into another defensive stance.

Despite the exhaustion that appears to dwell over him, Vitiate still has time for more comments.  
“Seems you have not discarded some of the gifts I gave you, after all.”

“You gave me nothing. I make my own decisions and accept who I am.”

While it can’t be said that he manages to elevate his position to the same one as her, due to how little damage he actually manages to cause, he does survive on meeting her strikes with similar levels of anger and hatred. The only difference may be that she is fueled by a call for justice, while it is becoming increasingly evident that he is consumed by desperation.  
He tries to change position whenever she forces him far enough, as to not be pushed into a wall, which means he eventually ends up near the center walkway.

“You may keep suggesting that you are your own being, but a piece of me will always linger, Revan.”

It does seem like he pulls at some kind of nerve, as Raekah grits her teeth and increases the flow of her attacks.  
“My name is _NOT_ Revan! I am Raekah Shan, and I’ll keep hounding you until you remember it!”

Even in his weakened position and with how little he can do against her, he chuckles.  
“Denial suits you, but it does not make it the truth.”

She practically snarls as she delivers an overhead strike against him, one that almost makes him groan and she glares into his eyes. Compared to his void, hers appear like a raging ocean.  
“I am tired of your belittling, of your constant urge to spy on and twist my mind. I will not allow you to touch it again.”  
Raekah keeps sending out commands as her strikes increase in velocity and tenacity.  
“You will leave my family and people alone, or I will make you suffer like you have never even imagined! _That_ is a promise.”

“So eager to deliver orders, now that you have deceived me. This does not mean you can simply expect me to-“

His remaining words only come out as a pained groan, as she raises her foot and kicks him right in his chest, making him fall backwards to the floor, slamming into it with a hard thud. She sees this as an opportunity to strike even further against him, possibly taking him down, but she should’ve known he wouldn’t fall so easily.  
Before she reaches his position, Vitiate loads another electric charge from where he’s lying on the floor, and unleashes it towards her. She hadn’t anticipated that he’d manage to move this quickly and therefore can’t do more than try to raise her lightsaber. Unfortunately, it isn’t enough, as it goes much further than just her weapon and surges into her skin instead. Pain flows through every section of her flesh and she feels how her body starts to vibrate, to surrender to this power, like it has before.

It never gets far enough to shatter her spirit, however, as she summons some internal strength, creating a barrier through the Force that purges his prodding attempt, tearing it apart.  
Afterwards, she displays another scowl and points her weapon at him.  
“You will not defeat me this way. Not this time.”

He furrows his brow back at her, but it’s hard to tell if he’s doing it out of frustration or mere disappointment. Either way, there’s no alternative other than for him to block her attacks, feeling how his stamina continues to deplete. He cannot last like this forever, no matter how much he wishes to deny it. Even if he does not receive every strike against him, he has to move a lot more than her, to dodge, evade or create some distance between them. Raekah doesn’t outright tell him, but doesn’t have to, because her eyes emit enough of a notion to tell him just how pitiful she thinks he is.

The crescendo of the duel reaches its peak when Vitiate’s constant scurrying takes him closer to his throne once more, and the platform just ahead of it. His weakness is much too evident now, and she sees very clearly how he tries to hide it, but fails miserably. Her many years of experience makes it easy for her to notice just where he’s fumbling and how to expose it enough that it can be exploited.  
She takes this opportunity when given, reaches out with her blade and at the right moment, slashes close to the hilt of his lightsaber, managing to knock it aside. He looks surprised that she could actually disarm him, and that hands her another opportunity.

Putting as much strength and will into it as possible, Raekah grits her teeth and shoves her lightsaber straight at his abdomen, piercing his body.  
Vitiate widens his eyes in sheer shock, his mouth opens in a silent gasp, his body hunched over. She watches how his weapon hand starts to shiver along with the pain that probably pervades his entire form, and she can’t help but feel immensely pleased. It’s been a long time coming, and she won’t deny how much she revels in it.

Driving the blade even further in and twisting it produces more agonizing moans, and she leans in to practically whisper into his ear, now that they’re so close.  
“How does it feel to finally understand death?”

At first, he says nothing, simply trying to overcome all the damage she has done to him, to somehow survive the notion of falling to the other side of existence. She feels how he places one hand over hers, one of those at the hilt of her weapon, his fingers still shaking.  
“You…”, he says in his quiet raspy voice, “…were always so predictable.”

It's not until it’s too late that she notes how he pushes at something with one of his feet, and she can only widen her eyes when she realizes that she’s now standing in the center of the platform.  
The trap he seems to have prepared for her is unleashed, and the electricity from the machines are directed straight towards her. She tries to reinforce her position with the internal aid of the Force, but while she manages to block some of it off, it’s not enough. Her tormented shout is heard throughout the room, as she’s eventually brought to her knees in front of him. It’s not until that point that they finally subside.

It’s been several years now since she last felt such suffering at anyone’s hands. The struggles she went through with her companions on the Ebon Hawk is probably what comes closest, but even if she has been in battle after that, she has not ended up in this kind of state. She thought she had prepared herself fully, that she wouldn’t be walking into any of his schemes, but she should’ve known that it’s impossible to know what this monster is thinking.

While she doesn’t fall any further, she senses weakness throughout her body, too much to recover herself or get up. Besides, she doesn’t get the chance for it, as Vitiate remains. She feels a touch on her skin, as a hand reaches her forehead, and fills her mind with an unnervingly familiar and yet uncomfortably strange sensation. It is as if something starts to pull at her, that her whole body becomes light and numb. Raekah tries to look up, to face him, and sees how for a few moments, blue light enters the void of the Emperor’s eyes.

“If I am to fall…”, he says, the vigor behind it being drained, but he fights desperately for survival regardless. “…then this body will go with it. You will be my replacement, as you were always meant to.”

She tries to fight him, to prevent any of his advances, but it’s impossible. It is all too reminiscent of the end of their last encounter, but not the same way. It is so much stronger at this time, which doesn’t seem likely. After all she has done to hurt and bring him to his last breath, how can he still have such power within?  
He tries to take what isn’t his, to force his will upon her once more, and she is incapable of fighting him off. She feels a fear inside of her, not wanting this to be how she ends, trapped like this. Is it the last time she ever has to be herself, the last time she ever gets the chance to think of those she loves and cares for?

At the other side of the room, while this occurs, Scourge has finally regained his mind after having been knocked around. He groans and feels how his head throbs with the damage that was done to it. Damn that woman. Couldn’t she have warned him or come up with some slightly less haphazard plan? He thinks that fighting Vitiate alone is beyond stupidity, but if she had insisted, he might have given in, eventually. Instead, he was not given a choice and now-

He stops thinking of this when he feels around for his weapon and doesn’t find it. And wait, Raekah? What happened to her? Is she-  
His eyes widen in shock as he sees the human sitting in front of Vitiate, currently on her knees. It wouldn’t be completely implausible to believe that she has yielded to him from this position, if it wasn’t for the fact that she doesn’t seem to be surrendering as much as being forced. Not only is his hand on her forehead, but he still has her lightsaber straight through his body. If this is the case, then what he’s seeing now is…

A part of Scourge wants to remain seated, to simply accept what he’s seeing. Is that not the best outcome, after all? It would cement his position at the Emperor’s side, without anything coming in between them. Sure, he would have to serve a body that resembles someone he once called an ally, but that is a price he should be willing to pay, for the sake of the galaxy and his people. Raekah would understand, right? She has fought and made sacrifices all her life and this should be no different.  
And yet…

When it appears that the Emperor will succeed with his transfer, a discharge can be heard from the other side of the room, which shoots right into the woman on her knees. She gasps sharply as it hits her back, and the power behind it shatters the connection that Vitiate is trying to create, forcing him back. Raekah’s eyes practically rolls into her head, before she takes a last breath and tumbles to the ground, remaining lifeless.

The Emperor is not only in shock by this development, but also swiftly filled with rage. He turns to look towards the walkway and sees the hulking figure of Scourge approaching, still seeming somewhat groggy.  
“What…what have you _done_?! You disrupted the transfer, the source of my rejuvenation! Are you mad?!”

Scourge clears his throat, and tries to push the fear into the depths of his heart. He can’t be ruled by it now.  
“My lord, please…you are mistaken. This was her plan all along.”

Vitiate narrows his eyes, looking at Scourge skeptically while he takes a step back.  
“What?”

“Don’t you see? She wanted you to do this, to try transferring into her body. You remember the ritual I spoke of? This was what she had prepared all along. She hoped you would be foolish enough to conduct the merge, so that she could infiltrate your mind. This scum was attempting to corrupt you from within, turn you against us. I wanted to tell you, but…well, she prevented me before I could explain the truth. I had to save you.”

Another few steps, and Vitiate’s hand starts to shiver as he appears confused, looking at Raekah’s body below him.  
“But…no, she wouldn’t-…she was too afraid of sacrifice, to lose all she had built.”

“Was she? Would she have come in here alone, challenged you without anyone else at her side, if she was? This was a ploy, your Majesty, and she knew you would walk right into it. I had to kill her. There was no other option.”

Very slowly, realization enters his eyes and he begins to look distraught and practically paranoid, as he feels how weakened his body and mind has grown.  
“I…I can’t…”

Scourge reaches out for him.  
“Please, my lord, let me help you.”

Vitiate turns to gaze at him, but not his eyes as much as his body. The Emperor manages to reach up to turn off the lightsaber that was piercing him, unleashes a tormented cough, before he lifts his hand towards Scourge.  
“I...feel it inside of you. The essence…”

Scourge stops in his tracks as something happens to him. His eyes shut quickly due to the pain he suffers when something is pulled from him, almost like someone tries to extract his blood without even opening any holes. A red mist swirls from his body, towards Vitiate’s hand and gives the Emperor some of his energy back. He doesn’t exactly look healthy, but he doesn’t seem to be on the brink of death anymore.

“Ah, that feels…better. I was growing weak, pitiful. I cannot allow myself to fall this way.”

At the same time, Scourge is clutching his own chest, his breathing being heavier than before.  
“I am pleased to have served you, master”, he strains to say.

Vitiate eyes the other pureblood in thought for several moments, before he actually nods with respect.  
“I thank you for you service, Lord Scourge. Trust me when I say that I will find a way to reward you soon enough.”  
He turns to the side, looking down at Raekah’s body and feels the contempt growing in his heart.  
“Continue to serve me by disposing of this wretch, and when you can, tell my fleet to retreat. We have fought this battle long enough.”  
He continues to shift his position, until he faces one of the corners along the wall of his throne and stumbles towards it.  
“I need rest. Find me when you have completed your task.”

Scourge watches Vitiate leaving in silence, not moving or saying anything until the dark presence is gone. Soon after, the Sith approaches Raekah’s position and kneels down by her. He didn’t think it would be possible, but he feels both pity and worry for her when he sees her lying like this.  
Reaching out with his hand, he puts it to her throat and detects what he would’ve hoped – a pulse.  
Without saying another word, he puts his hand to his cape, pulls at it so hard that he manages to tear it off. After that, he wraps it around her body and lifts her up. Hopefully, no one will get in his way until he has finished his task.

* * *

  
Every minute that passes by on his stroll through the large dreadnought, is one filled with stress and concern. He fears that the Emperor will realize the betrayal and come descending on him just before he attains his goal. He knows what sacrifice he must make, what is expected of him, but he won’t force her to do the same thing. She deserves better after all she has done to fight Vitiate, after all she has taught Scourge of what he is meant for, during this short time they’ve known each other.

Along the way, several Imperial Guards and even a few Sith encounters him. Most of them merely run past without so much as offering him a glance, while others at least gaze at him or even inquire, but he has no time for them. He starts to yell instead, inducing them with the sensation of speaking to a Sith that is above their nonsense. He gives the orders that the Emperor offered him and hopes that will be enough.

It isn’t until the hangar bay that he finally faces some kind of resistance, but not the type he had expected. In the back of this area, close to the force field, he sees a mandalorian starfighter virtually crashed into the floor, one of its wings broken and the nose pushed to the ground. At this time, there is no one sitting in it, however, because the pilot is too busy fighting the personnel in the room. Except for the ones Raekah and Scourge took down, more troops are now trying to fight against the woman who slashes wildly at them.

Bastila practically seems unstoppable, dancing around on the battlefield like a raging hurricane. She deflects all of the shots that aims for her, letting nothing prevent her approach, tearing droids apart as if they were created by mere twigs. The few soldiers that are foolish enough to try getting close are not dealt with a modicum of mercy, as she cuts them open and continues without even giving them a second thought.

This isn’t exactly who Scourge had thought or hoped to meet down here, but perhaps it opens for another opportunity. She definitely can’t use the vehicle she flew here in, but the ship still remains, which he’s sure that they can escape with.  
Looking up along one of the nearby walls, he sees various cameras in the room. They have obviously seen what occurs during this fight, but they have not yet noticed him. He seizes this chance and through the Force, he tears apart what few exists. None must know what happens here.

Once he’s done, he wanders towards her, letting the hangar doors close behind him. With a last thorough effort, Bastila slices the final droid apart and then turns towards what she assumes to be another opponent, but doesn’t quite feel as sure.  
“Scourge? What-“  
The doubt quickly changes to anger and she grips her lightsaber harder.  
“Where is she? Where is Raekah?!”

He hasn’t met this woman very often during his short time at the Jedi group’s side, but he doesn’t believe he has seen her this angry before. Not that he blames her, but he can’t have her making a mistake here.  
“Please, don’t speak too loudly. We don’t want anyone else to hear.”

“Don’t want anyone-  
…I asked where she is, you bastard! Tell me or I will tear you apart the same way I did with these lowlifes!”

Scourge holds up a hand, hoping it’s enough to at least stop her for now, before he puts it to the black cape and reveals the head of the one within. That seems to make the rage subside, but not the concern.  
“Don’t worry, she is still alive, merely unconscious."

“But…but how…”

“How did the fight go? I wish I could’ve seen it personally, but Raekah had other plans, apparently. She knocked me out at the start, and I only came back when it was practically over. He was immensely weak at that point, at the brink of death, but still had one last trap up his sleeve.  
I believe he was attempting to transfer his life energy into her, to take her body, but I stopped it. Thanks to his paranoia, he did not notice how I didn’t kill her.”

They have walked closer to each other now, and while Scourge still holds Raekah, Bastila leans over to caress her wife’s cheek, feeling the pulse on her neck. She sheathes her weapon immediately.  
“How did you accomplish that?”

Scourge snorts.  
“A simple overcharged stun weapon. I picked one up before we left, just in case. Never thought I’d have to use it on her, though. I was doubtful if he would believe me, but I suppose he was not in any state to properly assess her condition.”  
Bastila doesn’t really seem to care about their surroundings, but Scourge gives it a brief sweep, making sure that the area is empty, before he hands Raekah over to her.  
“Take the ship we came here with and get back to the mandalorian fleet, before this dreadnought leaves.  
Vitiate believes she is dead, Bastila, and I would prefer if it stays that way. He…must never know the truth.”

Despite how Raekah is not exactly small or super light, Bastila has enough strength in her to lift the other woman, cradling her wife’s unconscious body. Eventually, she turns her grey eyes up to his red ones.  
“You mean hide her in some way?”

“Yes. I don’t know how, but think of something. She has suffered enough, and it is time she hands over this duty to someone else. Let her live the quiet life she deserves.”

Bastila seems to understand and inclines her head in respect.  
“Thank you. It means a lot to us.”

Scourge merely shakes his head.  
“Don’t thank me. I only did it to return a favor.”

Bastila doesn’t quite know what he’s talking about, but doesn’t seem ready to ask.  
“She would disagree.”

“It does not matter, as we are even now.”  
He looks away and turns his back on them before he says his last few words.  
“Make sure she never contacts me again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, so, if you've read my SWTOR stories, you might be thinking that this is a bit confusing, since this wasn't what Meetra said happened. And...yeah, it isn't. I'm not even going to explain myself. YET (although Raekah is definitely still dead in the age of SWTOR. She didn't live to be over 300)_   
>  _If you wonder what keeps Vitiate away, why he doesn't simply invade the Republic earlier (as there's no trapped Revan anymore, like in Drew's shit), it is two things - Scourge's constant advice and the knowledge that the Jedi have devices that can weaken him. He spends the next few centuries waiting, hoping to find things to counteract it or until the Jedi's knowledge has withered away._
> 
> _This fic isn't quite done yet, though. I still have three aftermath chapters left._


	49. Edge of slumber

When she awakens from the depth of the darkened lair of involuntary sleep that she had fallen into, there are a few things that get her attention.  
First of all, there’s the weird duality of her head hurting, her body feeling sore, and yet she’s lying on something that seems very soft, smooth and pleasing. She’s not sure if she should be enjoying it or focus on the pain that her mind is currently in.  
The other section doesn’t appear until she tries to open her eyes and the light that hits them stings almost immediately, making her grit her teeth whether she wants to or not. It would be a lie to say that she expected to awaken in this type of situation, because she actually thought it would be much worse.

“Damn. Too bright, isn’t it? Give me a second”, she hears a voice saying and soon enough, the lights dim somewhat, making it less excruciating to endure.  
In a haze of confusion and fear, she tries to sit up, but doesn’t get very far. Someone places a hand on her shoulder and pushes her back down.  
“Hey, take it easy. There’s no need to go anywhere yet.”

The sound is now getting familiar to her, and she believes she can identify it.  
“B...Bastila?”

Parting her eyelids somewhat further, she spots the face of the same woman sitting not too far from her, gently squeezing her hand. Bastila has a warm smile on her lips, which happens to be one of Raekah’s favorite sights.  
“It’s me.”

“Are you…okay?”

Bastila releases a brief snort and then nods.  
“I am, despite all that we went through. I’m sore, but alive. However, I think your health is more important here.”

In an unintentional gesture, Raekah releases a few coughs, before she can correct herself.  
“Where am I? This doesn’t look like our ship.”

“It isn’t”, she hears another voice saying to the side. “We’re in the med bay of the Kandosii. Bit dusty, I guess, but it’ll do.”

Turning in that direction, Raekah arches her brow when she spots the sight of another familiar woman.  
“Meetra?”

Just like Raekah, Meetra doesn’t seem to be in the best condition. She looks somewhat bruised and her eyes display her fatigued state, but she still manages to smile. Next to her on the bed, sits her girlfriend, Visas Marr. The hand she has placed over Meetra’s appears to be of a similarly protective nature as Bastila’s.  
“Hey there, sleepyhead”, Meetra says with an amused undertone. “Wondered if you’d be gone for the next week.”

Raekah isn’t in a very humorous mood, although she’s not angry either. Mostly, she’s confused and exhausted.  
“You don’t look so great either.”

“Pff, speak for yourself. I’ve never felt better!”

Visas briefly shakes her head and lifts a hand to caress her beloved’s cheek.  
“Do not overexert yourself. I have seen you passed out enough for a lifetime.”

Meetra chuckles, before she takes the same hand and kisses the back of it.  
“You’re here now, so I’ll be fine.”

Raekah sits and watches the two for a bit, glad to see them interact like this, but it’s not long until her eyes widen with recognition.  
“Oh, wait, that’s right. The battle, is it…?”

Her head whirls towards Bastila, who inclines her own.  
“It’s over.”

“What happened? How did it go? Did…did everyone make it out?”

Bastila tries to smile again, hoping it’s reassuring enough.  
“Our whole team is alive, yes, but some took worse hits than others. Atris got shot, for example, and I believe she’s still being patched up with kolto. Canderous was also rather sore after being somewhat sliced up by Sith that wanted to kill him. And then there’s Meetra…”

She looks over at the Jedi, letting her speak for herself. Meetra merely shrugs.  
“Eh, got knocked out when the device we used exploded. Should’ve seen it coming, really, but I was too focused on trying to seal and drain that bastard. Felt good to bring him down a notch, but I should’ve known he’d get back at me.  
It was worse for the Ebon Hawk. It took a lot of damage when a bunch of starfighters targeted us after what we did to their Emperor. If it wasn’t for Atton, we wouldn’t have successfully crashed inside the Kandosii’s hangar bay.”

Raekah remembers the distress call just before she entered the dreadnought, but the Hawk’s fate is not as important to her as the woman on the other bed.  
“I have to confess that I was very concerned for you as well. Wasn’t sure what might’ve happened after what Bao-Dur told us.”

In return, Meetra waves dismissively.  
“Bah, don’t worry about it. I’m doing fine now. Guess it was rough for a while, though, since I was sure we’d won. Wish I knew that the battle wasn’t over yet.”  
Her eyes turn distant, hands only absent-mindedly caressing Visas’ fingers.  
“Vitiate was a real bastard in that mind world he tried to trap me in. He was very overconfident and looked down on me the whole time, assured of his own victory. Sort of seemed to be my chance to turn things back against him and I took it.”  
She eventually exhales and shakes her head.  
“Should’ve expected that he’d overload the device. He obviously wanted to do everything in his power to avoid defeat. As far as I know, the machine is busted, but the explosion itself was thankfully mostly contained, as it only hit me. If it wasn’t for Visas being nearby, it would’ve probably been a lot worse.”

Visas inclines her head.  
“It was fortunate indeed, but Jolee and Bao-Dur were there as well. They both made sure that the whole process went down quite smoothly.  
That said, I still wish you would have agreed to stay in the kolto tank for a while longer. You are not fully healed.”

Worried as always, but not unjustified. Meetra smiles at Visas and caresses her cheek instead.  
“I know that you’re upset about it, but I honestly think this is good for me. I want to be able to feel…alive, I guess, to know that I’m still here. The pain helps with that and it feels good.”

Even if Visas is disappointed, they see how Raekah nods from the other bed.  
“Yeah, I think I understand. Now that the battle is over, we need this as proof of victory.”

“Well”, Bastila starts, “personally, I think you’re both being stupid and reckless about this, but I suppose we can’t avoid it.”

“True”, Visas agrees. “These are the partners that we chose and we both knew that.”

Bastila smirks and shakes her head, while Meetra looks amused as she picks up her girlfriend’s hand again, brushing her lips against it.  
Even if she would like to join in on this behavior, Raekah still looks rather distant.  
“I…don’t know why, but I feel so drained somehow.”  
She shuts her eyes and raises her hand to her forehead, rubbing it slowly.  
“Can someone tell me what happened? I don’t remember all of the events back there, especially not how I got here.”

The fact that she would be worried about losing memories is a familiar aspect, of course, which probably causes some alarm. Visas and Meetra both look towards Bastila, letting her take care of it.  
“What do you remember?”, she asks.

Raekah takes a deep breath, trying to steady the uncertainty.  
“I think…the first thing I recall is landing on the dreadnought, carving our way through the ship and then ending up in the Emperor’s chambers. I remember charging against him, our lightsabers colliding, but…the rest of the battle gets very hazy.”

Bastila listens patiently to her wife’s words, nodding slowly along the way, while she entwines their fingers.  
“Well, I know a bit more of the events, if you want me to tell you.”

There’s no hesitation when Raekah turns towards her.  
“Please.”

“Alright, let’s see. When I got onto the dreadnought, I met Scourge in the hangar bay and-“

She doesn’t get much further with her explanation, as Raekah’s eyes suddenly widen.  
“Wait, hold on a moment…you went onto the dreadnought?”

Meeting Raekah’s skeptical look, while she’s the one lying in bed being injured, is somehow quite ironic, but not pleasant.  
“What? Of course, I did.”

“But…Bastila! Do you know how dangerous that was?!”

Her previous fairly serene and gentle look, now turns into a frown that she directs at Raekah.  
“Excuse me? You think I was going to stay put while Vitiate had you in his grasp? I had to go!”

“And you call me reckless?”

Bastila points at her rather sharply.  
“Don’t give me that tone! You went onto that ship without giving me an option of aiding you at all! You thought I was just going to leave you there? Absolutely out of the question!”

While it fills her with worry, Raekah will acquiesce that she probably endangered herself too, and that it perhaps wouldn’t be right to judge anyone else’s actions. Besides, she’s too tired to argue.  
“Okay, okay, fine. I…guess it’s a fair assessment. What happened after that?”

After straightening herself and correcting her hair, Bastila calms down and tries to get back to her story.  
“Right. Like I was saying, Scourge relayed all the information he could to me. He mentioned how the two of you went to Vitiate’s temporary throne room and found him somewhat different. It appears that whatever Meetra did, apparently had quite an effect. It gave you an advantage, but Scourge said you squandered this by basically knocking him out in the start of the fight.”

They hear chuckle from the other side, emitted by Meetra.  
“You knocked him out?”

Raekah raises a hand to scratch at her neck somewhat awkwardly.  
“It…was for the benefit of his role. I needed Vitiate to believe that Scourge was on his side.”

“Hah, and I’m sure there was no other way, right?”

While she clears her throat, she doesn’t actually have a retort, which makes Bastila smile and resume the explanation.  
“Anyhow, when you went to fight him, you two locked yourselves in a one-on-one scenario, somewhere along the center of the complex. From what Scourge told me, you were on the verge of winning and destroying him, but he initiated some kind of trap that he had placed in the room, which put you in a weakened state.  
After that, Scourge believes that Vitiate was attempting to make a soul transfer right into you, to utilize your body as his new vessel, in order to rejuvenate himself.”

“…what?”, Meetra asks.  
“Well, that’s quite fucked up. He wanted to become Raekah?”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, but who knows? At any rate, it did not succeed.  
Almost simultaneously, Scourge regained consciousness and saw what happened. He shot both of them with a stun device, which was apparently enough to break the spell.  
After it was done, Vitiate was too shocked to really understand what went wrong and he blamed Scourge to begin with, before everything could be explained.”  
She decides to meet Raekah’s eyes more intently.  
“Scourge told Vitiate that he killed you, Rae, using some plausible excuse. Vitiate apparently bought it, at the time, and then ordered your body to be disposed of. That’s when Scourge met me and asked me to take you away, to not let Vitiate know of your survival.”

As Bastila relays the entire story, Raekah mostly sits and listens quietly, trying to determine the meaning of it all. She doesn’t look panicked or anything, but her brow is furrowed in worry.  
“So, he’s still alive after all? Even after I pierced that bastard…”, she mutters. “This means he can recover.”

Not exactly the words that anyone liked to hear, and Bastila squeezes Raekah’s hand again.  
“Yes, he is still alive, but did you not hear what I said earlier? He’s very weakened. Not only did Meetra drain him quite harshly, but you brought him to the brink of death. He won’t get back from this easily.  
We should retreat and recuperate, now that we have a chance. There’s no reason to go after him again.”

Unfortunately, Raekah doesn’t look as confident in this assessment.  
“I dunno…shouldn’t we, though? If he’s weakened right now, it feels like now would be the perfect opportunity to hunt him down. There’s still a chance…”

Bastila sighs, somehow having expected these words.  
“Please, don’t be foolish, Rae. He thinks you’re dead now. This is finally our chance to hide, not to fight even more.”

“And I’d be willing to help out with that”, they hear from the other bed, as Meetra reenters the conversation.  
“As he’s in this state, I feel like we’re given a golden opportunity. This is just what we need to find techniques that could completely sever his mind from yours. You’d never have to encounter him again.  
This would’ve been difficult previously, but with him being almost dead, it’s worth a try. I mean, we don’t know when or if he’ll ever recover either.”

Being glad to have someone on her side, Bastila nods eagerly, but Raekah remains skeptical.  
“I see your points, I do, but it’s just…hard to let go. I have fought this man, this monster, for so long, been ready to sacrifice so much to see his demise. Can I really just…”

She’s caught in a dilemma, in between the notions of what she wants and what she believes her duty is and perhaps should be. It’s not unjustified or unexpected, but probably not particularly enjoyable for some of them.  
Bastila knows there’s only one way out of this now, that she has to say something to put down this discussion once and for all. It’s drastic and perhaps a bit silly, but dammit, she has to try. Lifting her hand to Raekah’s chin, she directs it upwards and makes them face each other, their eyes interlocked.

“Rae, I’m pregnant.”

Whatever thoughts she had previously, whatever plans she might’ve made somewhere in her mind, now suddenly stop. Instead, Raekah widens her eyes even further than before.  
“Wh…what did you say?”

“You heard me.”

A few more seconds and Raekah’s mouth is left agape. She quickly glances between Bastila’s stomach and her face.  
“…again?!”

“Yes, again.”

“But…but how is that…”

Bastila’s lips curl into an amused expression.  
“Why are you so surprised? It’s not like we haven’t been…active.”

On the other bed, Meetra smirks knowingly, while Raekah clears her throat, a blush on her cheeks. She’s not ashamed, exactly, but it feels weird talking about this with Meetra nearby somehow.  
“Well, it’s not really my fault. You’re very…tempting.”

With an even wider smile, Bastila leans down to kiss her cheek.  
“It’s no one’s ‘fault’, dear. But you know what this means, though, right? It means I will need you, _we_ will need you at our side. We have two children to take care of now, and there’s no point in trying to run around playing heroes anymore, not when we finally have a chance for some freedom and peace.  
Isn’t this what we’ve been fighting for? Isn’t this exactly what we’ve both struggled to achieve? We should relish it, not find new excuses.”

Raekah’s hesitation in this matter is not easy to relinquish, not after she has been stuck in its grasp for so long, but she is quickly coming to terms with the fact that there’s a point to what she’s being told.  
Bastila is right; she can’t keep obsessing about things that might not happen, in an unruly future. If they truly have Scourge being with the Emperor now, making sure he does nothing foolish, and Vitiate sitting in a deteriorated state, that’s exactly what she wanted, what they all wished for.

“I’m sorry, Bastila”, Raekah says after a few moments of silence. “I…didn’t want to be negligent, to make you worry. After being stuck in the mindset of war for so long, I don’t think I could’ve ever expected this to happen, and it’s difficult to accept.”

This makes Bastila smile brightly and she slides up on the bed, leans against Raekah and squeezes one of her hands. With the other, she raises it up to Raekah’s cheek to stroke it softly, while pushing their lips together in a loving and lengthy kiss, to display her feelings in the matter.  
“You don’t need to apologize”, she says quietly when their lips finally part. “You have fought so much and so hard, done everything for your family and the galaxy. All I want is for you to finally be able to settle down and rest, so that we can raise our children and grow old together.”

It fills her heart with even more warmth as Raekah actually looks very pleased when considering it.  
“That sounds…like an amazing dream. I want that more than anything.”

They’re sharing a very sweet moment, one that they should perhaps be allowed to keep, but Meetra can’t help but smirk somewhat.  
“Hey, some might say that she’s already pretty old.”

Raekah gives her friend an unamused stare.  
“…shut up, you.”

Meetra laughs shortly, before she shakes her head.  
“So, what does this mean? We won’t be seeing you two in the Jedi Order any time soon then?”

Bastila switches her position, moving so that she’s basically lying next to Raekah, when her wife invites her. She has her head against one shoulder and the other hand resting on Raekah’s stomach.  
“We respect you Meetra, and you as well Visas, and we definitely want to be around for as much as we can, but we won’t be rejoining the Order, no. I believe we have done enough.”

In response, Meetra’s features soften and she nods.  
“Don’t worry, I don’t blame you. I can understand why you’d prefer to be alone for now, to be together. I’d feel the same way.”

“Yeah, but don’t count us out”, says Raekah.  
“Like Bastila says, we will still be there. I want us to be a family, for once. We’d like to hang out with everyone else whenever possible. We never did much of that in the past, but it’s time for a change.”

“That sounds very nice”, Meetra remarks. “It would definitely be good to have something like that.”

Shortly after, once she contemplates another response, Meetra feels how someone pokes her side and she turns to look at Visas.  
“I hope you realize that I do not want you to go anywhere either; not after all our struggles and what we have suffered. I need you at my side.”

Meetra raises her eyebrow confusedly at first, as if she hadn’t expected to hear this so suddenly.  
“Well, I mean…sure. I wasn’t actually planning to go anywhere, though. Think I’ve had enough of Vitiate for a lifetime and he hopefully won’t go ever touch my ghost either.”  
She holds Visas hand a bit tighter, stroking a thumb at the back of it.  
“This is the reason why I joined in on this effort, after all. You’re my only motive for staying in this part of the galaxy.”

Visas seemingly stares at Meetra for a few moments, before she leans down and kisses Meetra softly and slowly.  
“Good, but I wanted to be absolutely certain. This is also why I have decided to fulfill your wish and accept.”

As their lips have parted, Meetra’s eyes flutters open again and she searches Visas’ feelings through their bond.  
“Accept what?”

“I will accept…the role you have been so adamant about bestowing upon me. I shall take the position of Grand Master.”

This makes Meetra’s eyes widen in shock, obviously something she hadn’t thought she’d hear, least of all today. That ends when she starts to laugh and pulls Visas into a hug.  
“Yes! I knew you’d eventually do it! Ah, stars, you don’t know how relieved I feel about that.”

Visas sighs, as she’s obviously still reluctant, despite what she has now committed to.  
“Well, even so, I will still require some things from you. Your aid, guidance, and love will be important to see me through these times, after we enact our changes.”

Meetra grins at her.  
“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna oppose that. I will do everything in my power to be the best companion possible.”

A few seconds drift past after this, until Meetra feels a rather strange sensation from Visas. Not much changes on her face, but there’s something amusing, perhaps even smug coming through in her feelings, which Meetra can read.  
“Don’t you mean the best wife?”

If she had been surprised before, it’s nothing like how Meetra feels now when she blinks.  
“…what?”

“Should I repeat it?”

“Wait, are you saying that…you want to…”

“Are you shocked? I thought it would be obvious.  
Just because we are Jedi, that does not mean we cannot accept the importance of our union. In fact, I would say that now is the most crucial time of all, to show that we are a new and reformed Order, not the same. I want the chance to marry you before I take the role of Grand Master.”

Meetra tries to think of what to say in response, if it should be witty, sincere, casual or emotional, but all her words fall flat when she considers them.  
Instead, she seizes Visas shoulders and pulls her back down, hugging her tightly as they kiss, hoping that it displays more than words. It’s clear that there’s nothing else she’d want in this galaxy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yeah, it was a bit...too mushy, I suppose, but whatever._   
>  _Two chapters left and both of them will be released next week._


	50. Fresh possibilities

With a blue shimmer all around them, like a swirling mystical ocean intermingled with the flashing of distant stars, the freighter ship <i>Golden Gizka</i> surges through hyperspace with ease. This is a type of journey that the vessel has done several times during its relatively short lifespan and it never seems to have any problems. It’s hard to tell if it’s due to the fairly adequate handling by the pilot behind the controls, or the equipment. Not the highest quality stuff that one can find, but it’s more than what one might expect from a freighter. Then again, the people in charge of the vessel are not the typical traders either, and yet that’s the profession they’ve chosen.

The person in the pilot's seat is sitting in a white button-up shirt, a black vest, some loose red pants and fairly long boots. Her lekkus constantly shift whenever she’s caught in a particularly heavy amount of concentration, either curling around her neck or an arm. It appears that her entire body wants to be active at this time, likely due to the circumstances. Not that she needs to be nervous or anything, because she clearly knows what she’s doing, like she constantly insists. Then again, she can’t ignore that the assignment they’re currently on has her both curious and somewhat unsure.

This notion is shared by the very tall and hairy individual that enters the bridge now. The familiar noises of the wookiee native language, which she can understand quite well, is heard from behind.  
“Mission, how long do we have left?”, Zaalbar asks.

After a brief snort out of amusement, Mission clicks a few buttons on the left side of the navigational board.  
“Just a few more minutes. Still nervous, Big Z?”

The wookiee sighs and folds his arms.  
“I just feel that it’s…worrying. This sector is in the fringes of Republic territory. You know what happens when we get outside of it.”

She smiles and shakes her head.  
“Look, I get it, you can’t stop thinking about all the pirates or whatever, but you shouldn’t fidget so much. We’ve been out here before and we’ve avoided danger every time. How bad can it really be, anyway?”

“…I think ‘avoided’ is a definition we should discuss. Dodging cannon fire is not the same thing as being undiscovered by it.”

“Tsk. We got out of that situation, didn’t we? We can do it again, you know, as long as you keep our weapons aimed in the right direction.”

Zaalbar shakes his head.  
“It is not the guns that will get us out of being blown apart.  
But fine, if you don’t wish to be properly concerned, then don’t get angry at me when I say, ‘I told you so’ later on.”

He hears how she emits a brief chuckle.  
“Hey, c’mon, you know I’m prepared for anything! They’ll never get the jump on me.”

“Is that not exactly what happened last time?”

She doesn’t give him a response, as she tries to focus on the various system checks and such that she needs to complete before they get back into normal space, which is very soon.  
Just another minute or so, and she pushes the button to disengage the hyperdrive, letting the thrusters take over the job of acceleration.  
However, even if she had been quite confident just a short while ago, that is immediately forgotten when she realizes the kind of situation they’ve ended up in.

Two large ships are located very close to their destination, with both seeming to be from different factions. The eyes on the duo inside the bridge are widened momentarily, before Mission reminds herself to initiate the sensors.  
“Uh…I think that one to the right is a Republic warship. And the other is a...  
Shit, a mandalorian one? How is that even possible? I didn’t think they had vessels this big.”

The wookiee sighs even heavier than before, shuts his eyes and runs his claws over his face.  
“…do you want me to say it now or later?”

“Hey, do I look like I need your smugness right now?”  
Feeling how some hesitation has found itself in her chest, she tries to stay firm and confident, as if she knows what to do. One part of her mind tells her to enable the hyperdrive again, but she decides to check the shipping information to begin with. That’s what makes her eyes narrow.  
“Hmm…this can’t be right.”

“What is it?”

“The coordinates we were sent, they…point us straight to that mandalorian vessel.”

The wookiee narrows his eyes too, stepping close enough to put his hand on the back of Mission’s chair.  
“What? That doesn’t make sense. Why would mandalorians send for a Republic transport ship?”

It is very curious, and somewhat confusing, but Mission’s expression soon looks thoughtful instead, especially as she glances over her shoulder.  
“No idea, but there’s always a chance that it’s Ordo waiting for us. Haven’t seen him in quite a while.”

Zaalbar frowns as he straightens himself again, seeming very skeptical.  
“Maybe, but he would’ve been more upfront with us, right?”

“Who knows? Maybe he’s in trouble or something, I dunno.”  
She directs her attention to the controls once more, increasing the speed on the thrusters.  
“Only one way to find out, I guess.”

The Gizka shoots through space at quite a high velocity, being one of the foremost aspects that Mission improved on this ship, once they earned a bit more credits.  
Even if she should have expected it, she’s kinda surprised when the hangar bay blast doors are already open and waiting for her, allowing the ship to simply move through the force field without asking for permission. This means they’re at least in the right location, but she’s not sure if that’s a good thing or not.

Letting Zaalbar check some of the crates they brought with them, Mission is first to approach the exit hatch, as he usually leaves her to handle first contact with their clients. She’s just more of a people person, really.  
However, when she does, the sight that appears in front of her makes her eyes widen, her mouth hang open, and her chest becoming filled with emotions of shock and elation.

Not far from the edge of the ramp stands another person; not a mandalorian, but certainly a human, a very familiar one. The beige skin, the short black hair and the gentle somewhat artificial blue eyes is an appearance that Mission hasn’t seen in a few years now, since she was just a-…well, she couldn’t admit it back then, but she’s definitely more than a kid now.  
Raekah waits where she is, meeting Mission’s gaze and offers the twi’lek a tentative smile.

“Uh, hello, Mission. Don’t know if I’ve changed too much for you to remember me, but it’s Raekah.  
I…apologize for not sending you the details beforehand. I felt it might give away the surprise. I hope that’s okay and that we haven’t gotten you into trouble or-“

She stops when Mission suddenly starts running down the metal ramp, not saying anything along the way. At the end, she leaps and throws herself at Raekah, surprising the former Jedi, almost to the extent where she’s tackle-hugged to the ground. Luckily, she manages to keep her footing and chuckles as Mission hugs her tightly. Shortly after, she receives a kiss on the cheek as well, before the younger woman says anything.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t know if I remember you?! I’m not sure if you or I should be insulted by that, you idiot!”

Raekah’s previous action extends into a laughter instead as she continues to embrace her young friend, gently running a hand down Mission’s back.  
“I’m sorry, it’s just been a while. I know we haven’t talked much other than over the holo in recent years. It’s good to see you again, though.”

“I agree”, another voice adds from the side, now approaching them. “And I’m also glad that you aren’t all too upset. Raekah was afraid what might happen when you stepped out of the ship.”

Mission blinks and turns to spot another human, which she smiles at and dashes towards, to give the same kind of hug as Raekah received.  
“Bastila! Oh, it’s so good to see you!”

Naturally, Bastila eagerly accepts the embrace, caressing one of Mission’s lekkus for a moment.  
“And you too, my dear. You have certainly grown during these past few years.”

“Of course! Didn’t you know that, though? I sent pictures over the HoloNet!”

“Oh, we did, but it’s not quite the same as seeing you in person.”  
She gently strokes a few fingers down Mission’s cheek.  
“It almost feels surreal that you are no longer just the teenager with a blaster at our side.”

Mission rolls her eyes.  
“Not this again. C’mon, don’t be like Carth or Raekah. I’m not a kid and I never was!”

Bastila smirks.  
“I think that is incorrect both biologically and realistically.”

Shortly after she’s done cuddling the wife, Mission furrows her brow, disentangles herself, folds her arms and stares at Raekah.  
“So, where were all the pictures from you guys, huh? You have hardly ever called or sent any mails at all. You didn’t forget about me, did you?!”

She’s almost pouting at this point, and Raekah looks a bit unsure, as well as guilty.  
“No no! I promise, Mission, we never forgot about you or any of the others. Certain things simply…got in our way, that’s all. Mostly my own foolishness, I guess.”

Bastila watches her wife and feels somewhat sorry for her.  
“Hey, don’t be too hard on yourself, Rae.  
It wasn’t all that clear-cut, Mission. As always, Rae felt the need to protect the things she loves, which made her focus on other matters. And then there was of course the family she had to take care of, now that we have a son.”

If Mission had been annoyed before, that is completely forgotten now as she gasps, eyes widened in surprise.  
“…a son?! Where is he? I want to see him!”

“Ah, unfortunately, that will have to wait. We left him a short while back in a safer territory, as we had to go off on some…rather dangerous activities. That said, I swear that you will be given the chance to meet him soon.”

“Yeah, you better. He needs to meet his aunt Mission, dammit! I wanna make his life more awesome.”  
As the married couple laugh at the thought, the twi’lek soon sees how a few more figures approach, which of course includes more friends.  
“Juhani! Jolee! Wow, are you all here? I didn’t expect this!”

When she closes the distance, to give them the same greeting as the other two, Juhani offers her a gentle smile.  
“Well, Raekah insisted that we do not give you any prior warning, as she preferred to see your honest reaction.”

Jolee snorts.  
“Don’t think she expected the scolding, though, even if she should have.”

“Wow, you guys haven’t really changed much, huh?”, says Mission, but this thought disappears when she looks down at the item in Jolee’s hand.  
“Wait, what’s this? You have a cane?”

He seems mildly amused by her reaction.  
“Yes, I have a cane.”

“Why?”

“Well, it might surprise you to hear, but when one grows into a senior age, the body can’t really take the same kind of activities it used to, and you get slower and feebler. Don’t laugh, because it’ll happen to you too one day, young lady.”

Mission folds her arms and arches her brow.  
“…yeah, thanks for that information. It’s not like I totally knew what happens to old people or anything.”

Juhani giggles and shakes her head.  
“Sorry, he hasn’t really lost his attitude over the years.  
The truth is that we ended up in some scraps that we could not avoid a few years back. And, obviously, instead of being smart and getting some kind of mechanical replacements, Jolee prefers being a foolish old man.”

Jolee frowns at her.  
“Yes, well, as a foolish old man, am I not allowed to make my own decisions, huh?”

“Of course, but you know it would be better if you listened to me and asked for help.”

“Better for you, maybe, not for me.”

As she stops focusing on Jolee, Juhani redirects her eyes to Mission and smiles.  
“Would it be too awkward if I asked for another hug?”

Mission grins and extends her arms to do just that.  
“Not at all! I could hug you guys all day, if I didn’t know it’d make Jolee uncomfortable.”

He rolls his eyes, not glad that there's now two fairly young women teasing him.  
“It’s good to see how much you have grown, Mission”, says Juhani. “I know you send us updates, but I echo Bastila's feelings, that it is very different to witness it directly.”

After they separate, Mission smirks and places her hands down her own hips.  
“Heh, no longer the little brat you guys used to know, huh?”

“You never were. To us, you were always something much more.”

From her position a few meters away, Raekah nods slowly.  
“I agree. We have always seen you as a valuable member of our team, Mission, and we cherished your company. Your age used to have us worried, but it can’t be denied that you did a lot of good things for us.”

While she’s certainly proud to hear it, Mission still appears skeptical.  
“You say that, and yet you didn’t wanna bring me to whatever this new big adventure of yours was? Yeah, that’s right, I heard that you were off on something. Could’ve guessed it anyway, since you were gone from any of the main parts of the galaxy for so long.”

Once more, Raekah looks reluctant and very guilty, knowing that she says one thing, but does another. Fortunately, Bastila stands ready to step in and assist her wife.  
“Well, compared to our last joint adventure, that did not seem like a wise decision. We did not want to disrupt your life. You are still young and should be given a chance to grow up in a normal setting, not one filled with conflict and bloodshed.”

With a few heavy steps from the ramp, they hear another familiar voice.  
“That thought sounds pretty reasonable to me. I’m quite glad you kept Mission out of war. Have tried my best to do the same.”

The sight of the big wookiee makes Raekah smiles.  
“Zaalbar.”

Mission scowls up at her companion.  
“Yeah, but, I would’ve at least wanted to be part of something important again, you know? Especially since these people are our friends.”

Zaalbar inclines his head.  
“I agree to a certain point, but knowing Raekah and the rest of these people, I suspect it was probably a bit too much trouble for us.”

Once he is close enough, Raekah smiles and reaches out with her hand to pat his arm.  
“It’s very good to see you again as well, Zaalbar. And yeah, your statement shows more wisdom than you might realize. Taking you with us into what we experienced out there, it…would probably not have been very pleasant for either of you. Some of us just barely made it out alive.”

The wookiee emits a snorting sound.  
“Why am I not surprised? ‘Close to death’ seems to be your favorite outcome, for some reason.”

Even if she’s still disappointed, Mission is starting to open up to the idea.  
“Okay, okay, you have a point, I suppose. I’ll admit it was pretty weird flying to deliver a few crates into a mandalorian vessel.”

“Yeah, imagine how I felt then”, yet another new person says, one who seems to be coming from a door at the opposite end of the hangar.  
“Almost told everyone to fire on sight, before I realized what was going on.”

In that direction, they see how two bearded men come walking. One of them is dressed in the uniform of a Republic navy officer, with admiral stripes, while the other wears a heavy grey armor, in the familiar style of a mandalorian. Mission smiles at them both.  
“Yo, Carth! Canderous! Are these your ships?"

“Yup, they are”, Canderous says, before he smirks at Carth.  
“And personally, I think I’m gonna enjoy the idea of a Republic Admiral shitting his pants when seeing the Kandosii, for a while. Might even be better than the thought of the Sith fleeing for their lives.”

Carth frowns at him and crosses his arms.  
“Very funny. You know, I’m not actually sure that you even have permission to build this kind of ship.”

“Maybe you should speak with your senators more.”

“Are you saying that you made some kind of secret deal with certain senators?”

“Did I say secret? Don’t recall mentioning that word.”

Mission smirks and quickly waves them over.  
“Hey, can you lovebirds stop bickering and get over here? I want all my friends in the same place!”  
Neither of them enjoys hearing her associate that word with them, which is why they take a step apart before they reach the others. Mission surveys them when they’re close enough, and seem particularly intrigued by Canderous.  
“Bearded Ordo? Now that’s something you don’t see every day.”

Canderous shrugs.  
“Most of the time, people never see it, since I keep my helmet on. Don’t see a reason to shave, really.”

Some of the team knows that’s not the full truth, but there’s no need to dwell on it. Mission has more curiosities to question, which is why she turns her eyes towards the other human standing next to Juhani.  
“Also, who’s that white-haired lady with you, Juhani?”

The cathar smiles and steps aside, letting her become somewhat more visible.  
“Ah, I suppose I forgot to mention it. This is Atris, a member of the Jedi Order.”

Seemingly having been somewhat shy during the gathering, Atris now clears her throat and tries to look as respectable as possible.  
“Greetings to all of you. It is…an honor to stand in the presence of all these Republic heroes. I…am not really a member of the Jedi anymore, but I used to be.”

“Why’d you come here, then? Not with the mandalorians, right?”, Mission asks.

“Hmph, no, certainly not. I am only on this vessel to accompany master Juhani.”

That makes Mission tilt her head curiously.  
“Really? Okay. Is this your girlfriend, Juhani?”

After a brief moment of shock from both, the cathar laughs, while Atris squirms awkwardly.  
“…no, I am not.”

Juhani has to calm herself down, as she looks very amused by Atris’ reaction.  
“Atris performed some deeds in the past that hurt the Jedi and our allies, which is why she has been called to atone for them. I have offered to help and guide her, and she has accepted.”

“Oh, right. Jedi stuff”, Mission comments. “Yeah, don’t think I’d get that anyway.”

Once things seem to calm down and everyone enjoys the company of their old team, Raekah clears her throat, getting their attention.  
“Uh, now that we’re all gathered in the same place, I would like to say a few words, if you don’t mind. I have…something important to tell you, I suppose.”  
Everyone follows her request, obviously used to listening to Raekah by now. Most of the decisionmaking of the past was up to her, after all. Even so, she actually seems somewhat nervous.  
“First of all, I would like to start by…well, apologizing.”

Several of the others blink confusedly, except for Bastila.  
“Apologizing? Why?”, Mission asks.

“I am sorry for being so absent in the last couple of years. I hardly even sent most of you more than the occasional message. Perhaps you think that is fine, but I don’t.  
Due to the danger of our situation, I didn’t really wish to give away too much information about our position, activities, or what we were going through, but it wasn’t right.  
Even after our old adventures were done, I know some of you still looked up to me like some kind of leader, and just disappearing out of the blue isn’t what a leader does. I should have stayed, or at least explained what happened.”

Jolee shrugs.  
“Well, can’t really blame you or anything. It’s not like we were some kind of military squad you had to lead into battle. And besides, you won us the war against Malak.”

“No, _we_ won the war, not me alone. And now, very recently, I dragged some of you into yet another war, even as brief as it was.  
That said, the danger in the galaxy, for now, has passed and it’s time for another change, I believe. On Bastila’s advice, I have decided that we need to stop hiding, stop ignoring what we probably all want.”  
Her expression suddenly alters, becoming a bit more awkward.  
“I…haven’t explained this properly, or said it enough, but I care for each and every one of you. You are my friends and loved ones, the people I think about whenever I need something joyful in my life. In fact, I have viewed this group as a family, ever since our journey on the Ebon Hawk, but as family, we have been too absent from one another. It’s time to fix that.”

“Fix it how?”, Mission asks. “Going back to your old place?”

Raekah briefly shakes her head.  
“No, we’re not moving to Halcyon again, as I want us to have a more central position in the galaxy, where we can meet, perhaps even often. Bastila and I also have no plans to return to the Jedi Order, as we want to live our own lives. Naturally, we’ll still be loosely affiliated with them, but more as allies or friends.  
The most important aspect is to find a place for us to have peace and a bright future for our family. Personally, I haven’t done that in a long time, but I would like to try it, hopefully with all of you by our side.  
Unless any of you protest, I would be very grateful if we could perhaps arrange for some type of regular gettogethers, so that we could regain some of our old connections. I miss you, all of you, and I’d like the opportunity to remedy that situation.”  
As a last act, she clears her throat and nods.  
“That’s uh…all I had to say.”

For several seconds after this, she feels very awkward, mostly due to the fact that everyone stares at her. Thankfully, Mission knows how to fix that, which is why she smiles and hurries up to her friend once more, embracing Raekah tightly.  
“You’re still so awkward and silly, huh?”

Raekah sighs.  
“…thanks, Mission. Appreciate it”, she mutters.

Bastila chuckles and leans against her wife as well, kissing her on the cheek.  
“That is why she's so adorable.”

Jolee smirks.  
“You just never learn, hmm? Don’t know why you’re requesting meetups, since you won’t get rid of us, even if you wanted to.”

“Tsk, our leader?”, Canderous says with an amusing undertone. “Yeah, if you say so, Raekah.”

Carth smirks and crosses his arms as well.  
“I suppose she did lead us right into danger a whole lot, at least.”

“Perhaps”, Juhani slightly agrees, “but I would still say she was and remains the best among us.”

“You will not get much argument from me”, says Zaalbar. “I would not even be here, if it was not for Raekah and Mission.”

Raekah raises a hand to rub at her forehead.  
“…okay, fine, maybe I went a bit too far with the family thing. I thought it was appropriate, though.”

Thankfully, she feels how Bastila wraps a hand around hers, moving very close.  
“Not at all. I believe it was just the right amount.  
In fact, since we’re all gathered in such a pleasant atmosphere, I have another announcement, that all of you might as well hear about.  
I believe most of you already know of Vaner, and each of you will get the chance to see him as soon as possible. I want him to grow up among this group, to learn from everyone. However, he is not the only one.”  
She lowers her hand to her stomach, touching it gently, with a contemplative look on her face.  
“I would like our second child to have the same opportunity.”

It seems this couple doesn’t get tired of shocking the team with news, and each of them show a combination of excitement and astonishment, especially Mission.  
“You’re…pregnant again?”, asks the twi’lek.

“Mhm, have been for several weeks now. Didn’t want to warn everyone too early, though.”

Over on his side, Canderous looks like he’s not sure if he should be laughing or caught in disbelief.  
“…why am I not surprised that Bastila went into battle while pregnant?”

Soon after, Mission hurries up to Bastila and hugs her eagerly.  
“Yes! This is amazing! Oh, I so wanna be there when it's born. I never thought I’d get to be an aunt, but now I can be one for two!”

Bastila smiles and caresses her cheek.  
“You will have that chance. And don’t worry, I am sure that our daughter will be very happy to see you as well.”

Raekah blinks and turns to her wife.  
“How…do you know it’s a girl already?”

She is about to gain a direct answer, but Bastila halts before she continues, remembering certain elements of her wife’s experiences, and offers a smile instead.  
“You make a good point. I suppose we should not be too hasty with our assumptions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _I needed at least one chapter with Mission. I feel a bit guilty that she wasn't in here more, but maybe I'll do some post-VOD stories at some point._   
>  _I know the droids weren't in this chapter, but I felt like both of them are probably with the Ebon Hawk at this time, which isn't in the Kandosii._
> 
> _And yeah, this was the final chapter with Raekah and Bastila. Next one will have the final with Meetra and Visas, plus the whole end of this fic._   
>  _Due to it being the last, I will be posting it on Sunday this week, which I believe is exactly one year after I started this fic._


	51. Dreams of generations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _As I posted this fic for the first time on December 31st 2016, I only felt it was right to finish it on the same date of 2017. Here's the final chapter._

Tall spires almost reaching the sky, infinite glittering lights, millions upon millions of vehicles and an endless scurrying activity.  
Several months ago, in orbit around Nathema, Visas could’ve never predicted that she would ever end up here in this silent room, gazing out over the visage below. The enormous cityscape of Coruscant sprawls out before her, giving off the impression that it swallows everything below the blue heavens. That they manage to stay this color at all is almost astounding.

She has never visited this world before, never even considered it, as her life has never been drawn in this direction. Despite the size of this type of landscape, it is somehow not as reminiscent of Nar Shaddaa as it perhaps should be.  
Well, she certainly can’t ignore the element of life surrounding the capital world. It teems with this energy everywhere, swirling with the living Force no matter where one looks, but that is not difficult to handle when considered alone. A thick population was not the Smuggler’s Moon’s only problem, after all, but simply one aspect woven into a web of pollution, corruption, desperation and death. It made the entire experience so much more unbearable, in comparison to Coruscant. This world is cleaner, fairer and a lot more accessible, even if she knows there is a seedy underworld somewhere beneath the upper layers.

However, as strange and fascinating as it may be to view – even through Force sight – that is not why she’s sitting by this window. She’s waiting, which she has done for several minutes now, but doesn’t have to do so for much longer.  
She senses how someone approaches her from behind, but it is a familiar presence, a very welcoming one, which is why she does not try to move. Instead, she waits until this person has wrapped arms around her waist and placed a head on her left shoulder, while hugging her gently.

“Nervous?”, Meetra asks, her mouth being quite close to Visas’ ear now.

Visas raises both her hands, placing them above Meetra’s and caresses them.  
“Somewhat, perhaps, but it is nothing to be concerned for. What of you?”

With a brief sigh, the other Jedi shuts her eyes.  
“…more than I’d usually like to admit.”

The notion isn’t strange, exactly, partially due to the fact that Visas can sense these emotions inside her beloved. Their bond is virtually a constant event, a reality that they have become so used to by now that it doesn’t worry either of them.  
“Why is that?”

Meetra snorts, and even though it can’t be seen from that angle, she still shrugs.  
“I dunno. I just think it’s kinda…awkward, I guess. I hadn’t expected this outcome.  
I mean, you are the leader of the Jedi now, not me. I’d kinda prefer to not be put in a position where, like, people assume otherwise. They need to believe that I’m not influencing you or anything.”

It would not be fair to say that she’s obsessed, but Meetra is often quite insistent that she should not pushed too much into the front, even if she is still a somewhat frontal figure, no matter what she says.  
“I respect your opinion, dear, but you were also the one who brought the Order back together. And, let’s not forget that you are a member of the Council, so you are still a leader.  
I want you to stand by my side, so that people know this.”

“Well, I’d like that too, but…do I really have to hold a speech with you?”

Visas shifts the position of her grip, going deeper as she entwines their fingers.  
“In this occasion, yes. The Republic needs to see and hear their heroine, to give her the proper honor she deserves.”

Even if she exhales and complains, Meetra will admit that she does enjoy how adamant Visas is that everyone acknowledges Meetra’s contributions, despite receiving a lot at once. How many outside the Jedi Order would do that?  
She tilts her head and nuzzles into Visas’ neck.  
“Sometimes, I feel like only you care.”

“Then I will do everything in my power to change that perception.”

“And what if I screw it all up?”

Visas slowly shakes her head.  
“You won’t. I believe in you and I know that you can do this. After all, you have done it before, correct?”

Meetra arches her brow skeptically.  
“What? When?”

“Did you not hold any uplifting speeches during the war? You were in a position of high rank.”

Oh, of course. She had almost forgotten that aspect herself, which is why she rolls her eyes now.  
“…bah, that was different. I never wrote down a whole speech and rehearsed it. It was so much more…spontaneous, you know.  
I mean, this thing will also be kinda improvisational, but because I’ve had to do some preparations and had the chance to get anxious, I just know that I’m gonna fuck it up.”

“If you continue to think such negative thoughts, you will. Try to be relaxed and not consider the full difficulty of your task.”

“That’s easy for you to say, as people won’t be judging you so hard. They know who I am.  
But…I’ll do my best, I suppose.”

“That is all I can and will ask. Trust yourself, like I trust you.”

Seconds after she says this, she turns around in Meetra’s arms, leans towards her beloved and resumes a similar position that their hands had before. Now that they’re in a better angle, though, she can feel the texture of the gold ring on her wife’s finger, the item which created a physical and legal bond for people to see. Visas didn’t think it would be as important to her as it has become. She likes the idea of everyone knowing they are together.  
This only happens with one hand, though, as she raises the other to place at Meetra’s cheek, while the human’s free arm stays around Visas’ waist. Their lips collide softly, pulling them into a tender kiss, a kind of activity they have had a lot of time for lately, but that they rarely get tired of. With how much they have fought to remain together, no one is surprised by it.

While Visas’ robes are only slightly altered from what she usually wears, with a brighter sash and a maroon-colored shawl over her shoulders, Meetra is currently dressed in a long blue and white outfit, with a coat on top. Visas had suggested putting the Republic logo somewhere as well, but Meetra felt that would’ve been a bit too much. She’s not here to kiss their asses, she just hopes to prove her allegiance. Visas can’t actually observe it in the same way, but she can stroke her hands over it.

“So”, Meetra starts, “enjoying Coruscant so far? It’s been a while since I was here. Hasn’t changed much, really.”

Visas inclines her head, as she’s very well aware of what Meetra did when she last visited. There’s no need to go into the details of it.  
“It is nice, in certain ways. I enjoy the opportunity to experience what it contains. However, I must admit that there is a bit too much city for me to be fully comfortable. It is as if these buildings have somehow swallowed everything else. I feel a little trapped without some presence of nature.”

Meetra nods briefly.  
“Yeah, I agree. It’s so damn big too. Coruscant is the type of place that I always felt like you could never be alone on. It’s unnerving in a way, like you’re constantly somewhat on edge, whether you notice it or not. Maybe it’s different for others.”

“Perhaps, but I can see it as well. I believe we are on the same page, in that sense. Outside of Nar Shaddaa, my life has never brought me into such massive areas, filled with life to the brim. I am at least glad that it is not as unpleasant as that moon.”

It is not a surprise that they’d have similar opinions of this world, but at least that should extend past the borders of their bond. Both of them grew up in areas where the city wasn’t everything you could experience.  
“Heh, guess we won’t be moving the enclave to Coruscant then?”

“I don’t believe that was ever an issue to begin with.”  
After she leaves this idea behind, Visas tilts her head down slightly, gazing towards something else, a view from within her partner. Meetra watches her and sees how a small smile appears on her wife’s lips.  
“It is still fascinating how the sight of you two together can be so enjoyable.”

The hand from Meetra’s cheek drifts downwards and instead ends up over the stomach, which Visas caresses lovingly. Meetra rolls her eyes, but she mirrors the expression.  
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve said that before.”

“I never want to stop saying it.”

“I still think it’s kinda funny that you can actually see it at all. Not weird, necessarily, just interesting.”

Visas shrugs.  
“It is natural for me, although it is not quite as direct as you may assume. It is more akin to…seeing two life energies swirling together, one being nurtured and protected by the other. I found it intriguing in the past, while I was younger, but now it is an absolutely beautiful sight.”

Meetra smirks and pokes a teasing finger into Visas’s side.  
“Tsk. Yeah, of course you’d say that, since it’s yours. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

“I will admit that I may be biased due to our two essences being intermingled, but I feel it is more than that.”

Lowering her own gaze, Meetra takes her hand from the waist, placing it on top of the one that Visas rubs over her belly, to let them feel it together. For a moment, she notes how an electrifying sensation quickly surges through her, but it’s gone faster than she can identify.  
“It is…kinda exciting, despite how new this is to me, but I’m also dreading that it’s gonna get worse. Bastila has warned me of some stuff.”

There’s not much distance between them now, but Visas shuts what is there, until their noses and lips brushes against each other, decreasing her voice to a whisper.  
“Whatever happens, I will be here to support you, as I know you will be there for me.”

Yet another kiss, before Meetra leans forward to rest her head on Visas’ shoulder.  
“I know, but you better be prepared. You’re gonna have to take me through the worst of it.”

“Anything for you.”

There’s no doubt that they would prefer to stay here a while longer and enjoy each other’s company, but it appears the galaxy has another plan. The door to the room slides open, and they spot a mon calamari entering the area, not going further than the door.  
“Uh, excuse me, master Jedis. The Republic Senate has called for your presence. I am here to escort you.”

Meetra takes a deep breath, sensing how her nervousness returns. She hopes to ignore it by looking at Visas.  
“Ready?”

Visas smiles and nods.  
“Let us show them what they have to deal with now.”  


* * *

  
Inside the gigantic cocoon of a building, littered with hexagonal platforms over its walls, each one filled with people and species from various planets across the wide territory that makes up the Galactic Republic, a specific group of individuals are waiting somewhere in the shadows. They are soon called to gather in the center, where they can better be seen and heard, viewed from every angle.  
Meetra doesn’t say it outright, but it is uncomfortable for her to be watched in such a way, to be exposed to every scrutinizing gaze. Perhaps that is the purpose as well, to only show one’s truthful face and be judged. That said, she doubts that every single person in here is completely clean either. She’s not sure if this is going to be broadcasted over the HoloNet, but probably best to assume that much.

After a short introduction, it is Visas who is first to approach the sound amplifiers and clears her throat before she starts.  
“Greetings, members of the Galactic Senate and proud citizens of the Republic. I am Visas Marr Surik, Grand Master of the new Jedi Order.”  
There are murmurs and loud whispers from across the hall, something that echoes and can be perceived even without amplifiers. Visas ignores it.  
“After having been through much conflict for many years, and disappeared into the shadows of the galaxy, we have returned. Our hope is to rise stronger than ever, but with a new purpose.  
To initiate this rebirth, I would like to introduce you to our new leadership and my colleagues.”

Taking a slight step to the side, she makes sure that as many people as possible can see those who stand around the edges of the central platform.  
“I present to you the members of the new Jedi High Council”, she continues. “They include Master Brianna of Eshan, Master Bao-Dur of Iridonia, Master Atton Rand, Master Mira of Nar Shaddaa, Master Juhani of Cathar and Master Jolee Bindo.”  
She mentions each of the ways that they had requested to be introduced, while also allowing them to either bow their heads, wave or do something similar to acknowledge their presence.  
“Last, and likely greatest of us all, is a woman I believe many of you may be familiar with. She is the one who saved, rebuilt and let us rise from the ashes of the fallen. I present to you, former General of the Republic Military and now member of the Jedi High Council, Master Meetra Surik Marr.”

The name initially brings an unexpected silence to the entire room. As Meetra steps up to the front, right next to Visas, she can see and feel a lot of expressions filled with surprise or even excitement, while others are either clearly skeptical or perhaps expectant in some way. It doesn’t take long after that until she receives a round of applause, as they at least know how to honor a decorated hero of the Republic.

As soon as it is done, Meetra clears her throat as well, trying to fight the dread in her chest. She begins with a solemn gaze and tone.  
“Thank you for the warm welcome. It has been a while since I was last on Coruscant, and I can’t remember ever visiting this facility, at least not from this specific location. It is an honor to receive the opportunity, though.  
First of all, I’d like to say that I understand where many people might remember or recognize me from, and why. I hope you will not judge me when I say that I am not ashamed of what I did.  
Even after all these years, I am still glad that I stood with the Revanchists against the mandalorian invaders, to help protect the Republic, and it’s not an opinion I will ever back out of. The citizens of this great alliance of planets needed us more than ever, and I do not regret answering that call.”

She takes a few moments to breathe, feeling how the anxiety is slowly decreasing, as she is glad to finally have gotten the initial part of that out. Everyone in this room sits and listens more intently now than they did before.  
“However”, she eventually says, “certain actions during that time were not as pleasant, and I understand that the fallout from the conflict made people doubt the Jedi and our activities. Even if I was not present for the war that followed, I see no reason to blame anyone for feeling that way, or for doubting our potential return. If I were in their position, I would probably feel the same.  
That said, there are elements of those circumstances that you must know more of, and that the Order of old has now disappeared almost completely. Only a few of us remain, and most of us survivors did not always share the beliefs of the fallen.  
The Jedi will return to the galaxy, but not as we were, nor will we expect to be seen in the same light as previously.”

Retreating from the podium, she gives the attention back to Visas, who continues with her last section of the speech.  
“To that end, we will be making some drastic changes to how we operate and view our mission. Even if the Jedi will stand with the Republic, it will not be from within, but as allies.  
The beliefs and ideals of the past no longer belong in this era, not after everything we have endured and seen thus far. The Republic needs a new Order, and a new understanding for the Force, which the Jedi we are now will hopefully provide.”

She briefly glances in Meetra’s direction, which her wife notices by how she tilts her head to the side. Meetra offers her a small nod.  
“Many things will not be the same”, Visas tells them, “as the Jedi Code shall no longer be followed to the letter. It still functions as a positive philosophy and influence upon us, but it did not work correctly as a set of rules or laws, which should have been blatant after recent conflicts.  
We also do not seek to have the same type of power that the Order once had on the Republic, which is why we cannot recruit as we used to. Like many citizens have surely experienced as well, some individuals who now stand with us as members of the Council have gone through the difficult process of the Jedi’s old legal authority, and we do not wish to repeat the mistakes of the past. It is the opinion of those of us on this platform, that the Jedi should be something comparable to a school for the Force, with potential teachings of combat elements, rather than an all-knowing martial and religious Order.  
The Force is a gift, in certain ways, but not one that must rule our lives. Therefore, we cannot conscript people into our fold, as that is not what the Jedi should be. We are not a division of the military, despite the physical training we endure.”  
She shifts the location of her arms, putting them behind her back.  
“For now, we are still rebuilding, but once we are done, we wish to offer the Republic what assistance we can, not make demands out of it. The Jedi shall no longer be strict about our guidance, and we shall explore all ways of the Force, to find a balance which we have never had before. There will never be another purge.”

As Visas is done, she gestures for Meetra to get back into her former position, to give the last few words.  
“I’m sure a lot of you who have interacted with the Jedi in the past, probably think this sounds very strange, and some might even be skeptical about what we’re telling you, but I assure you that this is for the best. Otherwise, we will simply have the same cycle of war which has occurred too many times in the recent decades.”  
She moves her arms up and places her hands on the nearby railings, trying to gain a measure of confidence.  
“Do not doubt that the Jedi will be there to assist and reinforce you when necessary, as we will do everything within our power to prevent disasters. However, remember that we are not here to act based upon your rules or regulations, but our own beliefs in justice, compassion and wisdom.  
For those lost and sensitive to the Force out there, who we are of interest to and that wants to learn from us, we extend our hands. If you wish to join us, our doors on Telos IV are always open, but let it be your choice.  
Thank you for your time, and may the Force be with you, always.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Yes, pregnant Meetra. Seeing how there's more Marr miraluka in the future, I have a feeling that Visas probably got pregnant later on too. I have some ideas for how the Marr-Surik family looks in the future, during the SWTOR era, which I'll get into at some point._
> 
> _And yeah, the recreation of the Jedi Order was obviously different than what we see in SWTOR, which was kinda the point too. I just imagine that a few generations later, they started looking skeptically at people like Raekah and Meetra, as they were part of destroying the original Order._   
>  _I mean, that could still be blamed on the Jedi Council and the Order's philosophy as a whole, but I imagine that from the view of the generations later on, they probably thought that all the conflicts and wars shaped these people too much. They needed a different view and therefore drifted back towards the teachings of the "golden days" (even if that was never really true)._
> 
> _I have to admit, it's kinda been a nightmare writing this. I constantly questioned a lot of my choices and whether stuff came out the way I wanted. I'm more of a Swtor writer, really, and I feel more comfortable with canon characters in that game than in these ones. I think that's mostly because I feel like the Swtor companions don't live up to their potential, while the Kotor games (especially the second) are very well-written. The pressure of the whole thing may have gotten to me at times, where I feel I should've done better._   
>  _Anyway, it's done now, which I'm thankful for. I don't think I'm entirely done with Kotor, as I have a few post-VOD ideas, but I'm not sure when or if that'll happen._
> 
> _Thanks to anyone who has read, given kudos and/or commented on this fic. I hope it hasn't been too horrible._


End file.
